Alexander Zverev’s defiant comments as domestic abuse trial ends and he reaches French Open final

Alexander Zverev ended a tumultuous day in sparkling fashion as he reached his first French Open final and then he hit back at his critics after the conclusion of his domestic abuse trial.

The court case against Zverev for allegedly assaulting his ex-girlfriend has been terminated after a settlement was reached, with his ex-partner receiving no money at the end of the proceedings.

The case began in Berlin last week without Zverev present and had been due to resume on Friday before continuing across various dates until the middle of July.

The 27-year-old, ranked fourth in the world, has always maintained his innocence and the settlement does not include an admission of guilt.

A court spokesperson told the PA news agency: “I can confirm that the court has terminated the proceedings with the consent of the public prosecution office.

“The defendant must pay an amount of €200,000. Of this, €150,000 go to the state treasury, the rest goes to non-profit organisations.

“The decision is not a verdict and it does not involve a decision about guilt or innocence.

“One decisive factor for the court decision was that the witness has expressed her wish to end the trial. The defendant agreed to the termination of the case.”

Alexander Zverev reaches out-of-court settlement in domestic abuse case

Speaking about the case ahead of the French Open, Zverev said: “I do believe in the German system. I do believe in the truth, as well. I have to be certain that I do know what I did, I do know what I didn’t do.

“I do believe that I’m not going to lose this procedure. There’s absolutely no chance I am.”

After that dramatic verdict was announced on Friday morning, Zverev had to get his mind back on tennis and he did just that by beating Casper Ruud in four sets to reach the French Open final.

Zverev, a losing semi-finalist in the previous three years at Roland Garros, triumphed 2-6 6-2 6-4 6-2.

The first question in his post match press conference was about the domestic abuse trial and it appeared he was keen to offered up a response he had been waiting to deliver for some time.

“I told you so from the start, I told everybody,” he said, when asked about the end of the legal proceedings against him.

“I’m happy that it’s over. Nothing else more to say. That’s it… I’m happy about that.”

When asked whether he regretted not having a chance to prove his innocence, he offered a swift response as he stated: “That’s what dropping the case is. That’s innocence. They are not going to drop the case if you are guilty.

“At the end of the day, I don’t know what translations you have. Done, we move on. I never, ever want to hear another question on this subject again. That goes out to everybody.”

Zverev’s agitated as he was asked about the court case was contrasted by his joy as he reaached his first French Open final, as he insisted the agony of his ankle injury against Rafael Nadal in the 2022 French Open semi-final will fuel his desire to win his first Grand Slam trophy against Carlos Alcaraz on Sunday.

“I’ve got so much history on this court,” said Zverev, who left Philippe Chatrier on crutches two years ago after sustaining a horror ankle injury against Rafael Nadal.

“I’ve got some of the best and worst memories on this court. I’m in the final after my fourth semi-final and I’m going to give it my all on Sunday.”