Alexander Zverev barracked over domestic abuse allegations at Australian Open
26 Jan 2025

German tennis star Alexander Zverev was publicly booed during his post-match speech at the 2025 Australian Open final.

The incident happened after Zverev lost to world number one Jannik Sinner in the summit clash.

As Zverev was about to deliver his runner-up speech on the Rod Laver Arena court, a woman in the audience shouted: "Australia believes Olya and Brenda!"

She was referring to Zverev's ex-partners Olya Sharypova and Brenda Patea's domestic violence allegations against him.

How Zverev responded to it
Public sentiment

The woman's interruption received a mixed response from the crowd on Rod Laver Arena, with some booing and whistling.

Zverev has always denied these allegations, reaching an out-of-court settlement with Patea last year. Meanwhile, Sharypova didn't pursue legal action.

An ATP-commissioned 15-month-long investigation found insufficient evidence against Zverev.

Asked about the incident at his post-match news conference, he said: "I believe there are no more accusations."

Online community reacts to heckling incident
Digital response

The online tennis community had mixed reactions to the heckling incident. A Reddit user called the heckler the 'hero of the tournament.'

Another user was glad that not everyone was happy with how Zverev's alleged abuse was handled.

Despite the controversy, Zverev won over many fans with his post-final speech where he graciously accepted defeat and thanked the crowd for their support.

'Not good enough...': Zverev on missing another Grand Slam
Defeat

Zverev voiced his disappointment after yet another Grand Slam final loss, this time against Sinner in the 2025 Australian Open final. Sinner defeated him 6-3, 7-6(4), 6-3.

This was his third defeat in a final, having lost to Carlos Alcaraz and Dominic Thiem at Roland Garros and the US Open, respectively.

Following the defeat on Rod Laver Arena, Zverev admitted that he was "not good enough."

The wait continues!
Wait

Zverev's wait for an elusive Grand Slam continues!

The world number two was vying to become the fifth German man with a Grand Slam title. However, he is now 0-3 in major finals.

Interestingly, Zverev has reached the Grand Slam semi-finals on six other occasions. He now has a win-loss record of 107-36 at majors.

At the Australian Open, Zverev dropped just two sets en route to the final.