Alexander Zverev facing fresh assault allegation

German media RTL have reported that allegations of assault made by Brenda Patea – the mother of Zverev’s child – led to the application for the issuance of a penalty order

Alexander Zverev at the press conference of ImproVR at the ISPO on November 28, 2022 in Munich, Germany. (Zuma/Panoramic)

Jamie Malachy

July 19, 2023

An application for a penalty order against Alexander Zverev on the basis of physical assault has been made by the public prosecutor’s office on behalf of Brenda Patea, Zverev’s former girlfriend and the mother of his child.

This was reported by German media company RTL, who were told about the charge by a spokeswoman for the Berlin criminal courts.

The application for a penalty order is only the first stage of a legal process, which may or may not result in the the German tennis player being issued with that order and having to pay a penalty fine.

The RTL have reported that the application for the issuance of a penalty order shows that the public prosecutor’s office sees sufficient suspicion of the offence.

This indicates that more evidence regarding the initial allegations of assault, made by Patea in 2019, may have surfaced. However, it is important to emphasise that this is not a judgement. Rather, it is a proposal for a decision from the courts, made by the public prosecutor’s office.

A spokeswoman for the Berlin criminal courts confirmed to german media RTL that the Berlin public prosecutor's office has applied for the issuance of a criminal order against A. Zverev. Whether a penalty order will be issued is currently being examined. https://t.co/cCaKCZNkTi
— Jannik Schneider (@schnejan) July 19, 2023

An appeal against the penalty order can be made within the next two weeks, during which time Alexander Zverev’s innocence will be presumed.

The assault allegations that led into the charge come from Brenda Patea, with whom Zverev has a daughter, and who made the original claims of abusive behaviour against Zverev four years ago.

The RTL reported that, if the penalty charge is approved, then Zverev could face a fine of up to half a million euros.

This sum is based on the severity of the crime, and the income of the accused.

While the assault charge this penalty order is based on came from Brenda Patea, neither her nor her management team have since commented on the reports.

Equally, Zverev nor any of his legal or management teams have provided any comment.

The German is currently in Bastad, Sweden, competing at the Nordea Open – an ATP 250 event played on clay.

Zverev won his first round match in three sets against Alex Molcan and is due to play Thiago Monteiro of Brazil in his last 16 match tomorrow.