The Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) has concluded its investigation into Alexander Zverev, finding insufficient evidence to substantiate published allegations of domestic abuse against the German tennis player.
As counsel for ATP, Smith Hulsey & Busey served as an intermediary between the governing body of the men’s professional tennis and The Lake Forest Group (LFG), a third-party investigation firm that led the independent probe. SHB chairman Steve Busey and shareholder Kevin Blodgett assisted the ATP in the matter.
Zverev — who has been ranked by the ATP as high as world No. 2, and was continuously ranked in the top 10 from July 2017 to November 2022 — faced published allegations of domestic abuse by his former girlfriend. Although the primary focus of the investigation related to alleged abuses taking place at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Shanghai in 2019, its scope also included purported misconduct in other locations, including Monaco, New York and Geneva.
Following an exhaustive 15-month process, LFG submitted its report to ATP. Based on a lack of reliable evidence and eyewitness reports, in addition to conflicting statements by interviewees, LFG was unable to substantiate the allegations of abuse or determine that violations of ATP’s On-Site Offenses or Player Major Offenses rules took place.
As a result, no disciplinary action against Zverev will be taken by ATP. Zverev has consistently denied all allegations and supported ATP’s investigation.
The sports lawyers at Smith Hulsey & Busey drafted the Tennis Anti-Corruption Program (TACP), the uniform anti-corruption rules for the governing bodies of professional tennis worldwide. In addition to the ATP, the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), International Tennis Federation (ITF), and Grand Slam Board have all adopted the program. The firm also represents the London-based International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) in arbitration proceedings involving violations of the TACP by professional tennis players.
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