Zverev’s ex-girlfriend hits back at his claims that her domestic abuse allegations are ‘unfounded’

Alexander Zverev’s former girlfriend has hit back at the tennis star after he labelled her domestic abuse allegations against him as ‘unfounded’.

The German tennis star released a statement on Twitter denying the claims from 23-year-old Olya Sharypova, a Russian photographer who said he hit her head against a wall and tried to strangle her at last year’s US Open.

But now former junior tennis player Sharypova – who broke up with the 23-year-old last year – has responded to the world no 7 by slamming him for not having the ‘courage to explain himself’ and claims she is the one telling the truth.

Alexander Zverev’s former girlfriend Olya Sharypova has hit back at the tennis star after he labelled her domestic abuse allegations against him as ‘unfounded’.

Sharypova posted on her Instagram story that she knew she was the one telling the truth after she claimed he had hit her head against a wall and had tried to choke her at last year’s US Open

Zverev denied the claims and labelled the accusations against him as ‘unfounded’ and not true

‘My story just started. ‘Simply not true.’ I don’t know if you wrote it or whoever is handling your Instagram, but to this day you had no courage to explain yourself directly,’ she wrote on her Instagram story.

‘Because I’m not lying and we both know it. I’m not afraid to tell the truth, are you?

‘I want to show all men, that let themselves act badly towards women, that we are not an accessory, we are not +1, we are not dolls, you can’t do whatever you like.

‘And if you thought I’d be quiet after all I’ve been through in that relationship, you were wrong. You failed to give me answers personally. So I did the same.’

Sportsmail have contacted Zverev’s representatives for comment.

The allegations began on Wednesday when Sharypova claimed in an Instagram post that she has been a victim of domestic abuse.

‘I want to tell one very personal and very hard story for me that I have already experienced and left in the past,’ she wrote.

‘I was a victim of domestic abuse! The first time this happened at the beginning of this relationship, there was a quarrel and I got hit with my head against the wall with so much power that I sat on the floor.

‘In August of that year, I ran out of the hotel barefoot. I was standing on the streets of New York and didn’t know where to go and what to do.

‘They tried to choke me with a pillow, hit my head against the wall, twisted my hands and at that moment I was really afraid for my life.

But now Sharypova has slammed Zverev and claims he is showing a lack of courage

‘This was far from the first and not the last situation when I was raised in a relationship. It was the scariest because at some point I couldn’t breathe.’

Then contacted by Russian outlet Championat and asked whether she was referring to Zverev in her post, she said: ‘On that day, I was just walking with Daria Medvedeva (wife of Russian tennis star Daniil Medvedev) and my friend. We lingered a little, and Sasha (Zverev) got angry about it.

‘When I got home, we had a fight. Our quarrels always took place from scratch. I wrote on Instagram that he tried to strangle me with a pillow, twisted my arms.

‘I tried to run out of the room several times, but he would not let me. I was afraid that someone might see and hear us. But in the end I managed to break free, and I ran off barefoot.

‘At first I was hiding in a hotel, but Sasha went downstairs and found me. We stood near the side entrance. I sobbed and tried to leave, and he wanted me to return to the room and we talked.

The allegations began when Sharypova posted on Instagram that she had been a victim of domestic abuse

Sharypova then confirmed she was referring to Zverev in the post in an interview in Russia

‘But I understood that at that moment there would be no dialogue. I was scared and wanted to run away. But Sasha pushed me against the wall and said that he would get nothing for it.

‘Fortunately, at that moment people appeared, and I rushed with them into the street. I was alone, barefoot in the middle of the street.’

Sharypova also claimed in her post and in the interview that that the violence from Zverev wasn’t a one-time thing and claimed it had happened multiple times during their tumultuous relationship, and even expressed a willingness to take a lie detector test.

Zverev however issued a statement later to the contrary and insisted the claims were ‘unfounded’.

Sharypova dated Zverev for a few years before the 23-year-old eventually broke up last year

‘We have known each other since we were children and shared many experiences together,’ he said. ‘I very much regret that she makes such statements because the accusations are simply not true.’

The allegations from Sharypova and denial from Zverev come after another one of the German’s former partners, Brenda Patea, announced that she was pregnant with his child.

‘I am 20 weeks pregnant and I am expecting a child from Alex,’ Patea told Gala Magazine via BILD.

‘That (shared custody) is out of the question for me. The child was not planned, but I will do everything to ensure that it grows up in a harmonious environment.

‘I am in the fortunate position of being able to raise the child on my own.’

The allegations come after Brenda Patea (right), another one of Zverev’s ex-girlfriends, announced she was pregnant with his child

She later added on her Instagram story: ‘I am pregnant and I am very happy about it and so many of you have already sent me congratulations and I wanted to say thank you for that on here.

‘I am very happy about it and yes.. but nonetheless, I have also received a lot of negative messages that hurt me a lot, with claims that are simply not true. The claims I am talking about regarded the topic of child custody.

‘Yes, I am seeking sole custody of the child and with good reasons, but they are private. I am not in contact with Alex, but I want to state very clearly on here that if he seeks contact with the child, I will not forbid it, on the contrary!’

Zverev has also caused controversy on the court this year after he admitted he played while feeling ill at the French Open

Away from the allegations, Zverev has also made headlines for the wrong reasons on two previous occasions this year.

He admitted to playing in his French Open fourth-round defeat while feeling ill having had coronavirus symptoms after his third-round victory.

Following his defeat to Jannik Sinner earlier this month, he said: ‘I was completely sick in the night after the match with Marco Cecchinato.

‘I can’t really breathe as you can hear by my voice. I had fever as well. I’m not in the best physical state, I would say.’

It isn’t the first time Zverev has behaved recklessly with Covid-19, having attended Novak Djokovic’s notorious Adria Tour. He was then pictured partying in a French restaurant within a week of returning from that.