"Horrible shadow over French Open" - Alexander Zverev should've been suspended until domestic abuse trial ended, maintains journalist

Tennis journalist, Ben Rothenberg has reaffirmed his belief that Alexander Zverev should have been barred from the ongoing French Open until the trial concluded. The German's ex-girlfriend and mother of his child, Brenda Patea, accused him of causing bodily harm, following which he was fined €450,000.

Zverev appealed against the decision, and thus, a trial began on May 31 at Berlin's Tiergarten District Court. The 27-year-old's lawyers emphasized that Patea's claims were "contradictory in relation to the evidence" and claimed that the German was innocent.

The two parties have now agreed on an out-of-court settlement to have a peaceful settlement of the matter for the sake of their three-year-old daughter, Mayla, bringing the trial to its conclusion. Zverev will have to pay a sum of €200,000, with an added €150,000 to the German State Treasury and non-profit organizations.

A very important point here is that Zverev hasn't admitted guilt. A lot of people were divided when the World No. 4 was allowed to compete at the French Open amidst the trial. Tennis journalist Ben Rothenberg was extremely vocal about the German's inclusion and took to X (formerly Twitter) to announce the results of the trial.

A lot of people jumped at Rothenberg, stating that the journalist had already declared that the German was guilty, despite the trial having no conclusion.

"Yeah he kept on calling for Zverev to get suspended etc. and as we can see now there was no guilty verdict," a fan wrote on X.

Rothenberg responded to that fan, and simply reiterated his earlier stance. He also claimed that Zverev's inclusion in the ongoing Roland Garros was bad for the game's reputation. He also said that Zverev's lawyers wanted to wrap up the trial before he might have won the tournament on Sunday.

"I still think Zverev should've been suspended until this was resolved, that opinion hasn't changed. This was a real, horrible shadow over the tour and tournament. I am also conscious that Zverev's side might have wanted to clear this ASAP before he maybe wins a Slam on Sunday," Rothenberg wrote.

Alexander Zverev to face Casper Ruud in the semifinals of the 2024 French Open

Alexander Zverev vs Casper Ruud

Alexander Zverev hasn't let the trial deter him, as he has played incredible tennis at this year's edition of the French Open, making it to his fourth-consecutive semifinals. He ousted 14-time champion Rafael Nadal in straight sets to kick off his campaign in style, and he followed it up with a win against David Goffin in similar fashion. He survived two consecutive five-setters against Tallon Greikspoor and Holger Rune before seeing off Alex de Minaur comfortably to reach the final.

Casper Ruud, on the other hand, is looking to make his third consecutive final at the Paris Major. The Norwegian defeated Felipe Alves, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, Tomas Etcheverry, and Taylor Fritz to reach the Final 8. Then, as a result of Novak Djokovic's withdrawal, he received a direct entry into the semis.

Zverev and Ruud have a 2-2 head-to-head record, and coincidentally, their most recent match was also the semifinals of the French Open in 2023, where the Norwegian prevailed in straight sets. The winner of their match will play the winner of the match between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner in the final.