Revealed: What Australian Open protester shouted at Alexander Zverev
Alexander Zverev’s runner-up speech at the Australian Open was briefly disrupted by a protester addressing past abuse allegations against the German.
World No 2 Zverev fell to his third Grand Slam final defeat on Sunday, the German beaten 6-3, 7-6(3), 6-3 by world No 1 and defending champion Jannik Sinner.
It was a disappointing evening for Zverev, who failed to generate a break point opportunity and now falls to 0-3 in Grand Slam singles finals.
However, the German was also briefly forced to confront domestic abuse allegations made by his former partners, Olya Sharypova and Brenda Patea.
A woman twice yelled out “Australia believes Olya and Brenda”, delaying the German’s speech by around 30 seconds before he was able to start his speech.
Au moment où Zverev s’apprêtait à prendre la parole, une femme a crié à plusieurs reprises :
️ ‘L’Australie croit Olya et Brenda !'” (deux femmes qui ont accusé Zverev d’agression)pic.twitter.com/wY31H0UeXX
— TennisTemple (@tennistemple) January 26, 2025
Zverev did not address the incident in his speech, instead focusing on his own disappointment and congratulating Sinner for his win.
“It sucks standing next to this thing [the trophy] and not being able to touch it,” said Zverev.
“Congrats to Jannik – you’re the best player in the world by far. I was hoping I could be more competitive today. You’re just too good, you really deserve it. Congrats to your team as well. There’s no one that deserves this trophy more.
“We’re [he and his team] trying to do all the right work. I’m just not good enough, it’s as simple as that.
“I really appreciate what everyone has done over the last few years, back from my ankle injury to being world No 2 and reaching Grand Slam finals again. I really appreciate everything I have done and I wouldn’t be here without them.”
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Abuse allegations
Zverev has been one of the most successful players of his generation, reaching three Grand Slam finals, climbing to world No 2, and winning Olympic gold at the Tokyo 2020 games.
However, his career has been overshadowed by the allegations made by Sharypova and Patea.
Sharypova’s accusations first emerged in October 2020 – shortly after Zverev had reached the US Open final – and were further detailed in two articles written by journalist Ben Rothenberg.
An ATP investigation into Sharypova’s allegations was launched in October 2021, with Zverev cleared in January 2023 after the ATP found “insufficient evidence” to substantiate her claims.
The second allegation made by Patea was revealed in October after it was announced that Zverev had been handed a penalty order of €450,000 by a German court.
Patea, who welcomed a child with Zverev in 2021, alleged that she had been choked by her former partner during their relationship.
Zverev contested the case and eventually settled out-of-court with Patea in June 2024, amid his run to the Roland Garros final.
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