"Players and tournaments are put in a bad spot" - Journalist slams ATP for allowing Alexander Zverev to compete despite domestic abuse allegations

Journalist Jon Wertheim has recently criticized the ATP for allowing Alexander Zverev to compete amid his domestic abuse allegations.

Zverev has been fined €450,000 ($475,832) by a Berlin court, as reported by The Guardian last month, for causing physical harm to his ex-girlfriend Brenda Patea, who is also the mother of his daughter. The German had previously denied the charges and is now contesting the court order.

In view of that, one X (formerly Twitter) user asked renowned journalist Jon Wertheim if the media would question the former US Open finalist about the allegations at every press conference and 'chase him out of tennis.'

"So let’s keep the allegations front & center since no charges were filed. How should Zverev respond in the court of public opinion? Should tennis journalists ask him about it at every presser? Should he be chased out of the sport?" the user asked.

Wertheim slammed the ATP in his response for allowing Alexander Zverev to compete despite 'multiple allegations' and 'one adjudication.' He claimed that it put tournaments and players in a 'bad spot.'

"Zverev gets to keep playing/earning$. But at what price?...At best, looks jay-vee. In the face multiple DV allegations-and one adjudication-you still let a guy compete?...Players and tournaments are put in a bad spot...There are close calls. This ain't one. Bad look all around....," the American wrote.

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Alexander Zverev is 'honored' to be playing at the ATP Finals 2023

Alexander Zverev in action at the 2023 Paris Masters

Alexander Zverev is currently gearing up to play in the 2023 ATP Finals, which will be held in Turin, Italy, from November 12-19. He is drawn in the Red Group, which also features Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev and will kick off his campaign against Alcaraz on November 13.

The German is 'honored' to be playing in the year-end tournament, and said that the 'special thing' about it was playing the best eight players in the world.

"It’s just the prestige to be there. You’re one of the best eight players in the world, so automatically you feel honored to be at that event. The special thing about that tournament is that during normal weeks you have time to get into the matches, you have time to find your rhythm, find your game," he was quoted as saying by the ATP Tour.

"There, you don’t. You play one of the best eight players in the world straightaway, from the first match, and that is the special part about it. I think that’s why all the players look forward to it and fight so hard to be there," he added.

Zverev is a two-time tournament champion, having won the title for the first time in 2018 and then again in 2021. He is also the only active player in this year's edition, along with Novak Djokovic (six), to have taken the trophy home more than once.