Australian Open heckler breaks silence after interrupting Alexander Zverev’s runner-up speech over domestic violence allegations
Alexander Zverev has repeatedly denied domestic violence accusations and refused to talk about it after losing the Australian Open final.
Follow Us
Alexander Zverev (Image via X)
Alexander Zverev was bidding to win the 2025 Australian Open but Jannik Sinner crushed his hopes when he secured a straight-set win in the final. Following the match, a heckler interrupted Zverev’s runner-up speech by shouting ‘Australia believes Olya and Brenda!’
The woman was referencing Zverev’s domestic violence allegations. He was accused of violence by his ex-girlfriends, Olya Sharypova and Brenda Patea, who is also the mother of his child.
Zverev has always denied the charges, and when Patea approached the court, the German ATP pro settled the case with her in June last year. At the press conference following his Australian Open final defeat, Zverev refused to open up about it when asked about the heckler.
Now renowned tennis journalist Ben Rothenberg got in touch with the heckler who told him that her plan was to make Sascha ‘sit in his own discomfort’. To protect her privacy, Rothenberg did not reveal the woman’s name.
I’ve been pretty livid ever since that Sascha has been able to go about his business and be celebrated and cheered on world stages.
The woman said (via Bounces)
She said that she is a huge tennis fan, and after witnessing the Women’s final in which Madison Keys became a Grand Slam champion for the first time with a three-set win over World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka, the woman didn’t want to attend a match with Zverev in it. She eventually did but had planned to chant those five words.
I was sitting on his player’s box end of the court. All night, people were cheering ‘Sascha! Sascha! Sascha!’ It was gross. He may try to bully people—ATP, journos, whomever—into quashing the story. But I wanted him to know that tennis fans know and we care about those women. And we f**king believe them.
The woman added
Before he begins his latest Slam runner-up speech, Alexander Sascha Zverev gets heckled by someone in the crowd before they are exited out. #AusOpen #AO2025 pic.twitter.com/Q98P5dSkuA
— Andrew Jerell Jones, Luke 1:37 (BlueSky too now) (@sluggahjells) January 26, 2025
Alexander Zverev has lost all his three Grand Slam finals
Alexander Zverev is now a three-time Grand Slam finalist. He progressed to his first Grand Slam final in 2020 at the US Open where Dominic Thiem came from two sets down to beat him.
Zverev came close to his first Major another time when he made it to the final of the 2024 French Open. The 27-year-old’s opponent was current World No.3 Carlos Alcaraz who overcame Zverev in five sets to lift his first French Open.
After these five-set battles, Zverev’s lopsided performance in the Australian Open final against Jannik Sinner denied him the title. Before reaching the summit clash of Melbourne Slam, Zverev received a walkover from Novak Djokovic in the semifinal as the Serb ruptured his hamstring muscle.
The Wimbledon is the only tournament where Zverev is yet to reach the quarterfinals. Last year at SW19, Zverev, despite taking a 2-0 lead, was defeated by Taylor Fritz in the fourth round.
Stay Updated!
Gouri Das
(4784 Articles Published)