Unsatisfactory handling of accusations against Alexander Zverev forced presenter Mary Carillo to resign from the Laver Cup
Follow Us
Alexander Zverev and Olya Sharypova
World No.4 Alexander Zverev’s professional career is surely on the upswing, but the dark clouds continue to hover around his personal side of things. The German was also spotted in the recently concluded 2021 Laver Cup, where he played a vital role in helping Team World win the prestigious cup for the fourth time.
Interestingly, Zverev is the only player in the world to have played all the four editions of the Laver Cup, since its inception in 2017. That said, his participation at the event in Boston was completely overshadowed by allegations for domestic abuse, against ex-girlfriend Olya Sharypova.
In 2020, the Russian model had alleged that Zverev physically abused her during their relationship. “I have been beaten and will not be silent anymore,” Sharypova said in an interview with Russian website Championat.
In response to the accusations, there was a sudden uproar by tennis fans on Twitter, ahead of the Laver Cup in Boston. In order to avoid negative marketing, the official Twitter account of the Laver Cup promptly started blocking accounts of those taking a dig at Zverev.
Although the 24-year-old did carry on representing Team World in the Laver Cup in Boston, former player and respected tennis presenter Mary Carillo refused to carry on with her role of presenting the tournament, citing discomfort in calling the event, despite strong allegations on Zverev.
“In the end I just felt like I’d be complicit in the whitewashing of very serious allegations. I couldn’t be part of it,” the American clarified her stand to quit her Laver Cup, presenter job.
Carillo calls for ATP investigation
Earlier at the 2021 US Open, Carillo who was also calling matches for NBC even claimed that it was tough for her to commentate on Zverev’s matches, without thinking about the unpleasant allegations. She even asked for the ATP to intervene and investigate the matter.
“[The ATP] should investigate this. There are damning text messages and photographs. This has been going on for way too long. Until then it is very hard for me to call [Alexander] Zverev matches without thinking about that,” Carillo opined.
Stay Updated!
Vivek Krishnan
(767 Articles Published)