The disturbing allegations surrounding Alexander Zverev are not going anywhere. His ex-girlfriend, Olya Sharypova, met with journalist Ben Rothenberg on separate occasions last year, and has since published a far more detailed account of the alleged events that occurred during their relationship. One of the incidents Sharypova claims to have happened was during a Laver Cup event, which is being kept immensely quiet despite a Laver Cup official apparently having to get involved. Now, the Laver Cup Twitter account is blocking people mentioning the allegations.
The ATP’s silence on the matter has been appalling to say the least, and things are getting worse. After the Laver Cup posted a promotional photo of Zverev ahead of the event, the backlash was swift. Many people aware of the alleged Laver Cup 2019 incident (included in Sharypova’s story with Rothenberg) are furious with this promotion, and it’s becoming a regular occurrence in every tournament Zverev plays. With the Laver Cup right around the corner, the Twitter account is blocking more and more people.
Laver Cup Blocks People Mentioning Zverev Allegations
The top story on my latest Reddit email was about Laver Cup blocking tweeters who shared a link to my Slate article.
Looks like it’s happened to dozens of tweeters who they are trying to silence. Seems to have had the opposite effect… pic.twitter.com/9gJDx3PrBE
— Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) September 19, 2021
A major contender returns to Team Europe in his best form. @AlexZverev #RoadToBostonhttps://t.co/RKmvvGyu1m pic.twitter.com/XySsFMSPdL
— Laver Cup (@LaverCup) September 18, 2021
As several users have shown, the Laver Cup account is blocking people who reply to the tweet with mention of the allegations against Zverev.
— Peter Pan 🐝 (@i_am_peterpan_) September 19, 2021
Right on cue. pic.twitter.com/IkNXcUAIAM
— Rishi Khanna (@riskhanna) September 19, 2021
The allegations and the response by the ATP has been causing a storm more and more this year. Zverev’s blanket denials to the allegations and the horrible attempts to gaslight Sharypova from him and his family aren’t helping his cause either. Zverev also lied in a press conference recently, claiming that a court determined Sharypova was lying, despite there being no court trial.
Without any legal proceedings, it’s unlikely anything will change. However, as we’ve seen with Basilashvili, the presence of a court case clearly makes no difference to weather a player can still participate or not. More players, like Milos Raonic already has, must speak out about this. The world of tennis will be highly benefited if we see a strong response from players to this issue.
The Laver Cup can block people all they want, but these replies are still visible to everyone else. To be quite frank, it’s an absolutely pathetic response to a very serious issue. An issue which needs direct investigation and discussion by the ATP, rather than being swept under the rug. Things simply cannot go on like this. It’s tiring for fans who want this issue dealt with, and I’m sure the ATP and event accounts don’t want to be dealing with this every day.
This is not a “personal issue” by any means. It’s a hugely important topic which requires a great deal of attention and investigation.
Main Photo:
Embed from Getty Images
