Quote of the Day: Alexander Zverev reveals "nobody said anything to me" about upcoming trial after joining player council

World No. 6 Alexander Zverev was tested on Tuesday by Dominik Koepfer in his first round match at Australian Open, needing four sets to see off the No.62-ranked fellow German, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (3), 6-3.

But after battling on Margaret Court Arena for three hours and 15 minutes, all eyes were on Zverev for a different reason. Earlier in the week, the news broke that the player was due to stand trial in Germany over allegations of physical abuse after he appealed a penalty order in a case brought forth by ex-girlfriend Brenda Patea—though he likely won’t have to appear in court in person, and instead can be represented by a lawyer.

The decision for ATP players to elect Zverev to the ATP Player Council had already raised a few eyebrows at a time when the ATP Tour is feeling the pressure over its lack of a policy to deal with domestic abuse charges. Sports organizations like the NFL and NBA already have these in place, including some policies that have been crafted with the input of their respective player associations.

But does that mean that Zverev—a player who himself has faced allegations of physical abuse from multiple previous partners—should be in a position to help determine how the ATP Tour should deal with these types of allegations?

Zverev sure doesn’t see the issue with it, and apparently, neither did his peers on the tour—as the German revealed in a tense exchange with a journalist in his brief post-match press conference. (Watch video above)

Q: Can I ask about the trial in Germany? Do you think it's appropriate to continue on the ATP players council while that case is underway?

ALEXANDER ZVEREV: Why would it not be?

Q: Well, there's obviously a question mark about your judgment, and the court will decide.

ALEXANDER ZVEREV: There isn't.

Q: You have the confidence of your fellow players to continue in that role?

ALEXANDER ZVEREV: Yeah, I think so. I mean, I think so. Nobody has said anything to me. I don't have a reason not to believe that.

One reason why no one has brought up this conversation to Zverev may just be that the players simply have no clue that any of this his happening in the first place. When asked for their thoughts on Tuesday in Melbourne, nearly all the players responded to similar questions with diplomatic variations of “I don’t know” and “no comment”:

“I don’t know the situation. I’m completely unfamiliar with it,” said world No. 6 Stefanos Tsitsipas in response to a press conference question, while Grigor Dimitrov—who is currently serving on the player council alongside Zverev said, “First I hear of this… I definitely won’t comment more on that, because I don’t know what the situation is.”

Dimitrov later conceded that, as more details continue to emerge, the players would eventually have to “sit down together and discuss all of that.”

In the meantime, the German will be aiming to continue blocking out the noise as he progresses through the draw at the Australian Open. A semifinalist here in 2020, Zverev will face Lukas Klein in the second round.