Focused on Roland-Garros, Zverev will not attend domestic violence trial on May 31

Alexander Zverev will play at Roland-Garros despite a trial against him — which will take place in Berlin on May 31, 2024.

Alexander Zverev at the 2024 Miami Open Image Credit: © Panoramic

Jérémy Baudu

May 24, 2024

In addition to having to face Rafael Nadal in the first round of Roland-Garros on Monday, Alexander Zverev will have to fight another battle from a distance next week. The world No 4 will stand trial in Berlin, Germany on May 31 for “assault and battery” against his former girlfriend and mother of his child, Brenda Patea.

It is a trial that Zverev will not attend — not even if he loses in the first or second round of the French Open. At his pre-tournament press conference on Friday, the German explained that the legal proceedings and the trial would not disrupt his preparation in Paris.

“At the end of the day, I believe in the German system,” he noted. “I also believe in the truth. I know what I did and what I didn’t do. That’s what will come out in the end, and I have to have trust in that. You know, everything else is not up to me.

“I believe that I will not lose this procedure. There is absolutely no chance. That’s why I can play calmly, and I think my results show it. Winning Rome is a great title, and of course being here — If I thought about [the trial], I wouldn’t play like I do.”

The 27-year-old has challenged a criminal order from the Berlin district court that imposed a fine of 450,000 euros on him in October 2023 for the alleged assault.

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