{"id":695605,"date":"2026-06-10T12:46:13","date_gmt":"2026-06-10T12:46:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/695605\/"},"modified":"2026-06-10T12:46:13","modified_gmt":"2026-06-10T12:46:13","slug":"for-zverevs-full-story-read-all-about-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/695605\/","title":{"rendered":"For Zverev’s Full Story, Read All About It"},"content":{"rendered":"

As I\u2019d foreshadowed in the days before<\/a>, I ultimately recused myself from watching or covering the men\u2019s final on Sunday at Roland Garros, and have not regretted that decision.<\/p>\n

\"Anyone<\/a><\/p>\n

But I have been fascinated by how the dust has settled from the final big match of the clay season, and wanted to discuss the media side of the landscape here at Bounces.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a tendency to talk about \u201ctennis media\u201d as a monolith, which has always been lazy and simplistic given the diversity of outlets and people in that category. <\/p>\n

The disparity between the ethos and ethics of the broadcast and written sides of the aisle has never been clearer to me than in the last three days. Specifically, the ways each side is willing or unwilling to tell the story of the sport have been cast in stark relief by their completely different approaches to the issue of French Open champion Alexander Zverev and the history of domestic violence accusations against him.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s start with the broadcast side, which is quicker to summarize: from what I have heard about the French, British, and American broadcasts of the French Open, there was zero mention or allusion to any of that part of Zverev\u2019s biography on any television broadcast. This is across the many hours of television coverage of him before, during, or after the final\u2014or at any other point in the two-week tournament.<\/p>\n

Because references to these stories were completely and conspicuously absent, the millions of television viewers who might not have had prior knowledge of those episodes were left completely in the dark. Grand Slam finals, particularly, have a much greater percentage of casual tennis viewers in the audience; these unfamiliar audiences were presented with nothing about Zverev except for the sympathetic story of a player whose years of futility finally ended in triumph.<\/p>\n

This loud silence is a familiar sound to tennis television audiences, of course. I was listening particularly attentively to ESPN during the 2021 U.S. Open, which began days after my second interview with Olya Sharypova was published. Over the dozens of hours in which Zverev\u2019s matches were on their airwaves, the network never mentioned the fresh accusations once. ESPN\u2019s entire fortnight of tournament coverage acknowledged Sharypova\u2019s accusations only once, in a two-minute pre-recorded segment by ESPN\u2019s Jeremy Schaap that aired during an off-peak women\u2019s doubles match.<\/p>\n

The Canadian ATP player Milos Raonic, who was watching that 2021 tournament at home while injured, spoke with frustration about the ATP\u2019s nonreaction\u2014\u201cI\u2019m embarrassed and disappointed in the ATP and the other governing bodies\u2019 response to this situation\u201d\u2014as well as the ESPN coverage of that tournament. Raonic, who had tweeted a facepalm emoji to ESPN\u2019s account after one glowing segment on Zverev, understood the importance of publicly recognizing the issue. \u201cAt least it should be acknowledged,\u201d Raonic told <\/a>Rolling Stone<\/a>. \u201cI don\u2019t know if it has been.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"X<\/p>\n

Milos Raonic@milosraonic<\/p>\n

.@espn \ud83e\udd26\ud83c\udffb\u200d\u2642\ufe0f<\/p>\n

3:37 AM \u00b7 Sep 5, 2021<\/p>\n

5 Replies \u00b7 7 Reposts \u00b7 149 Likes<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

It had been, albeit only by one tennis broadcaster who hadn\u2019t been on ESPN for years. Mary Carillo had brought the accusations up on-air during NBC\u2019s broadcast of Zverev\u2019s gold-medal win at the Tokyo Olympics weeks earlier\u2014and during her work on the 2021 U.S. Open\u2019s world feed broadcasts\u2014but her willingness to do so was the exception to the rule. Broadcast personnel\u2014on-air talent and producers alike\u2014clearly were averse to attempting any mention of the issues looming over Zverev.<\/p>\n

Five years later, with Zverev getting his biggest spotlight ever, the reticence remained\u2014albeit on different networks. The only moment of any Zverev-related friction on a 2026 French Open broadcast, to my knowledge, had nothing to do with any of the accusations. As he held his trophy during a post-match interview with TNT, Zverev mocked Sam Querrey<\/a> for lacking the championly r\u00e9sum\u00e9 of other pundits at the network\u2019s desk when it was Querrey\u2019s turn to ask a question: \u201cSam who? Why are you on this channel? Who hired you?\u201d<\/p>\n

Querrey smiled and laughed off the dickish slights without bristling too visibly, and Zverev then explained to the audience that the two had a \u201clove-hate\u201d relationship that he enjoyed. (Zverev\u2019s lingering animus toward Querrey, I\u2019ve been told, began last year after Zverev felt slighted by Querrey not including him in his famous ATP \u201cHottie\u201d bracket<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

I mention the Querrey moment mostly because it struck me as a vivid example of how tennis television presenters are expected to act in a certain amicable, deferential way to athletes in order to maintain the smooth running of the machine that keeps everyone aboard well-paid and happy. <\/p>\n

For writers at independent outlets who are less directly attached to the teat of corporate tennis, there\u2019s no such requirement for congenial complicity when presented with a subject they cannot face with an empty smile.<\/p>\n

There have been many English-language examples of critical Zverev coverage in recent days from which to choose, including from some of the biggest outlets.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis result is uncomfortable for many fans and spectators around the world,\u201d Tumaini Carayol wrote of Zverev\u2019s win at <\/a>The Guardian<\/a>. <\/p>\n

\u201cZverev\u2019s ongoing quest for an elusive first Grand Slam title has divided fans and raised questions,\u201d Charlie Eccleshare wrote at <\/a>The Athletic<\/a>, adding that \u201cthe discontinuation of Zverev\u2019s case two years ago, with a decision that was \u2018not a verdict\u2019 and \u2018not a decision about guilt or innocence,\u2019 has essentially left tennis in limbo.\u201d<\/p>\n

There are also a couple of bits from other Substacks which I wanted to highight.<\/p>\n

At <\/a>Hard Court,<\/a> Jessica Schiffer wrote a great piece<\/a> before the final about how uncomfortable Zverev\u2019s story has been for the few brands which have chosen to partner with him, particularly Adidas:<\/p>\n

Some [Adidas] employees reportedly cringe whenever the brand has to heavily feature or promote Zverev, not because they question his talent as an athlete, but because they are uncomfortable with the baggage that accompanies him.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe try not to center him in campaigns for obvious reasons,\u201d one employee told me. \u201cBut posting about him is unavoidable.\u201d<\/p>\n

On<\/a> Tennis Unfiltered<\/a>, James Gray did not hold back<\/a> about his view of Zverev from inside the press room, suggesting that a pessimist could correctly view Zverev\u2019s win as \u201cthe successful completion of a whitewash that began years ago, an attempt to airbrush the image of a man who was too big to fail, and that tennis is now happy to overlook his faults because he is successful.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gray also expressed frustrations with having to deal with Zverev personally as a reporter (something which I\u2019ve recused myself from doing for the last five years), including that Zverev showed up an hour late to his press conference.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt says a lot about his popularity, or lack thereof, in the press room that tournament organisers practically had to force journalists to ask a few more questions in English to make their champion\u2019s press conference look good,\u201d Gray wrote. <\/p>\n

The most remarkable coverage of Zverev\u2019s win, however, has been in France itself.<\/p>\n

William Pereira of France\u2019s <\/a>20 Minutes<\/a> wrote<\/a> that the applause for Zverev in the stadium on Sunday was sharply contrasted by the reaction among the press, even describing my stated decision not to attend or watch the final as enviable.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe would also have liked to stay home like our colleague Ben Rothenberg,\u201d Pereira wrote. \u201cThe American journalist brought to light the domestic violence allegations against Alexander Zverev made<\/a> by two different partners, notably by obtaining the testimony of the first, Olga Sharypova\u2026 Because he fought this battle alone for so long, even being dragged into court, he openly admits what the press room is thinking privately. Namely, that Zverev was the winner nobody wanted, the worst possible outcome for a Grand Slam tournament\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

I appreciate the endorsement, but I also realize that the much bigger news was how the biggest sports outlet in France has handled Zverev as a champion.<\/p>\n

For the first time since 2005, the men\u2019s Roland Garros champion was not front and center on the front page\u2014\u00e0 la Une\u2014of L\u2019\u00c9quipe, the famous French daily sports newspaper. Instead, L\u2019\u00c9quipe highlighted a women\u2019s handball team from Metz which had won a European championship.<\/p>\n

Zverev was relegated to a small image in an upper corner, with a headline suggesting he \u201cfinally grew up.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Image\"<\/a><\/p>\n

L\u2019\u00c9quipe\u2019s reluctance to bathe Zverev in its full glow was matched by the text within. <\/p>\n

In a story that ran inside the paper that day, Julien Reboullet of <\/a>L\u2019\u00c9quipe <\/a>wrote<\/a> that while he\u2019d \u201chave preferred to tell, without any restraint,\u201d about the \u201cmovie script\u201d story of Zverev\u2019s triumph, he could not. Zverev\u2019s victory, Reboullet said, \u201cdoesn’t overshadow the domestic violence allegations\u201d but rather \u201ccoexists\u201d with them. <\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone will have to deal with that,\u201d Reboullet said of that tension.<\/p>\n

Barbara Gabel of <\/a>France 24<\/a> spoke<\/a> with L\u2019\u00c9quipe\u2019s deputy editor-in-chief Fr\u00e9d\u00e9rique Galametz, who defended the paper\u2019s choices both for the women\u2019s handball team and against spotlighting Zverev. Galametz said that past Roland Garros champions who had been featured on the cover had \u201canother dimension\u201d to themselves.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe aura of those champions isn\u2019t the same as Zverev\u2019s today,\u201d Galametz said. She added that Zverev\u2019s overall image was considered in the decision:<\/p>\n

\u201cHe has become a divisive figure. We always take athletes\u2019 histories into account. Sport is not separate from society and must address issues of gender-based and sexual violence. It\u2019s part of our mission.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gabel of <\/a>France 24<\/a> wrote<\/a> that \u201cthis approach reflects a shift in how sexist and sexual violence in sports is viewed, even if the tendency to downplay the issue remains.\u201d The whole article<\/a>, which has a lot more examples of the French coverage, is worth running through a translator if the topic of media coverage of such issues is of interest to you.<\/p>\n

But the biggest L\u2019\u00c9quipe splash, perhaps, came a day later. On the Monday morning after the final, L\u2019\u00c9quipe<\/a> reporter Quentin Moynet joined Zverev in a car for a ride-along interview<\/a> on his way to his photoshoot with the trophy near the Eiffel Tower.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are neither prosecutors nor judges, but we observed a certain unease after Alexander Zverev’s victory on Sunday at Roland Garros<\/a>, and heard the legitimate questions about how to report on it,\u201d Moynet began his article, before describing an interview that was \u201cinitially quite warm and cheerful but quickly turned sour.\u201d <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>My copy of L\u2019\u00c9quipe on Tuesday in France. (Photo by Ben Rothenberg for Bounces).<\/p>\n

As the interview began, Moynet asked Zverev about a dozen questions without issue, on topics including the sleepless night of celebrations that followed his win, serving as a possible inspiration to kids with diabetes, and his desire to play for another 10 years.<\/p>\n

But then Moynet asked about the woman, known on <\/a>Bounces<\/a> as Nina<\/a>, who had shouted \u201cAustralia believes Olya and Brenda!\u201d during last year\u2019s Australian Open trophy ceremony. <\/p>\n

\"Echoes<\/a><\/p>\n

Did Zverev remember this moment, Moynet asked?<\/p>\n

\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Did he fear it could happen again in Paris?<\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u201d <\/p>\n

After asking about the support he\u2019d received from the Parisian crowd, Moynet asked Zverev about the consternation in the press room\u2014well-documented, as you\u2019ve read above\u2014about how to handle his win, \u201cgiven the domestic violence allegations against you several years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n

Zverev, Moynet said, cut him off mid-question this time.<\/p>\n

\u201cHold on,\u201d Zverev said. \u201cFirst of all, this isn\u2019t that kind of interview. Secondly, you know that the accusations have been proven false?\u201d<\/p>\n

(Ed.: Though he has consistently denied them, the accusations have not \u201cbeen proven false.\u201d)<\/p>\n

\u201cThe question is not directly related to the accusations,\u201d Moynet suggested.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is the second time you\u2019ve asked me about this,\u201d Zverev replied.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe question is: do you find it unfair that the media continue to talk about it?\u201d Moynet continued.<\/p>\n

This time, Zverev\u2019s agent Sergei Bubka Jr. piped up.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s a question about the accusations,\u201d Bubka said. <\/p>\n

Moynet then used his own paper\u2019s reticence as proof that the topic was valid. <\/p>\n

\u201cL\u2019\u00c9quipe, for example, didn\u2019t dedicate its entire front page to you,\u201d Moynet said. <\/p>\n

\u201cThat wasn\u2019t my decision,\u201d Zverev said. \u201cI did everything I could, and my innocence has been proven.\u201d<\/p>\n

(Ed.: Zverev\u2019s innocence has not \u201cbeen proven.\u201d)<\/p>\n

Moynet then tried moving on and changing topics, asking Zverev about his plans for the next few weeks.<\/p>\n

Zverev sighed with annoyance and didn\u2019t answer that benign question, either. <\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know,\u201d Zverev said. \u201cI think we should stop. It\u2019s better that way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Zverev did not speak again and the car fell silent for the final five minutes or so of the ride.<\/p>\n

\u201cBetween dark looks and cutting remarks, his entourage, present in the vehicle, clearly disapproved of our approach, and made their displeasure known,\u201d Moynet wrote. \u201cThe journey ended in an icy silence.\u201d<\/p>\n

This scene was only witnessed live by a handful of people, but it sure seems a lot more compelling and relevant than anything that the television producers cooked up around Zverev for worldwide audiences this weekend. <\/p>\n

I\u2019m biased here, I\u2019m sure, but I would chalk this news cycle up as a big win for writers and journalists, and a massive loss for the television side\u2014but one which I hope they can learn from for the future. After all, as Roland Garros himself said: \u201cVictory belongs to the most tenacious.\u201d Gutlessness, meanwhile, gets you nowhere worth going.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Photo by Mark Peterson \/ Corleve<\/p>\n

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For more on the end of the French Open and Serena Williams\u2019 return today in London, check out the latest episode of No Challenges Remaining below! -Ben<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As I\u2019d foreshadowed in the days before, I ultimately recused myself from watching or covering the men\u2019s final…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":695606,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[72],"tags":[99,428],"class_list":["post-695605","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tennis","tag-sports","tag-tennis"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/695605","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=695605"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/695605\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/695606"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=695605"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=695605"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=695605"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}