"Players should be made uncomfortable" - Journalist 'grateful' for Alexander Zverev & fellow players being asked about German's domestic abuse trial

Famous tennis journalist Ben Rothenberg recently expressed satisfaction with Alexander Zverev being asked questions regarding his court trial over domestic abuse allegations.

Alexander Zverev started his 2024 Australian Open campaign with a four-set win against fellow German Dominik Koepfer on Tuesday (January 16). During the sixth seed's post-match press conference, the media chose to forego questions about his on-court performance, instead focussing on his future court trial for abusing his ex-girlfriend.

The 26-year-old was recently accused of 'physically abusing a woman and damaging her health during an argument' in May 2020, with the woman in question being his ex-girlfriend Brenda Patea. The German is set to face trial in May this year, but has vehemently refuted the allegations.

Tennis journalist Ben Rothenberg took to X (formerly Twitter) later on Tuesday to give his two cents on the topic. The American praised the journalist who had first asked Zverev about his recent abuse allegations during the press conference, stating that the German and his peers shouldn't be let off easily until the dispute between him and his ex-girlfriend is resolved.

"I am not been the reporter asking players about Zverev today at #AusOpen, but I’m grateful to the one who has (who is not a tennis reporter by trade, probably why he can see with fresh eyes how absurd the facts are)," Rothenberg wrote on X. "Players *should* be made uncomfortable about this situation."

In a separate post, Rothenberg expressed happiness at the Australian Open's social media handles not promoting Alexander Zverev, which he felt set an example for other tournaments.

He also brought to tennis fans' notice that German serving on the ATP Players' Council amid abuse allegations was also one of the hot topics during his press conference.

"Not a single tweet about Zverev's match from the Australian Open's Twitter account tonight, which should show other org's it can be done," he wrote. "Every question Zverev got in English press was about whether it was appropriate to serve on the ATP player council while awaiting his criminal trial."

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Tennis journalist Ben Rothenberg reported on Alexander Zverev's ex-girlfriend Olya Sharypova facing domestic violence in 2021

Alexander Zverev looks on during a press conference in 2020

Incidentally, Ben Rothenberg had first reported in 2021 that Alexander Zverev had physically and emotionally abused another ex-girlfriend, Olga 'Olya' Sharypova. The German claimed innocence back then, before filing a preliminary injunction against both Sharypova and the American journalist.

According to one of Rothenberg's reports where he detailed the abuse faced by Sharypova, Zverev had allegedly beaten her multiple times during the latter half of the 2019 season. She also reportedly attempted suicide by overdosing on insulin at the Laver Cup in Geneva following an altercation between the two.

Sharypova chose not to file criminal charges against Zverev despite Rothenberg presenting circumstantial evidence to support her claims. The Russian's claims have died down over the last couple of years, even though the German's image has taken a significant hit.

Having said that, Zverev continues to go about his business as usual amidst the multiple physical abuse allegations against him. The former World No. 2 is one of the outside favorites to go all the way in Melbourne. He will take on Slovakia's Lukas Klein for a place in the third round of the Australian Open on Thursday (January 18).