Zverev's French Open triumph receives muted reception in France due to off-court issues

Zverev won his first major title on Sunday in Paris when he defeated Flavio Cobolli in five sets.

L'Equipe instead dedicated its front page to the handball team of Metz, which became the first French club to lift the Champions League women's trophy. There was just a small picture of Zverev on the top left corner of the main page, with the headline “Zverev, major at last.”

In addition to its coverage of the final, L'Equipe published an op-ed headlined “To live with" that focused on past accusations against Zverev. Two years ago, he settled a domestic abuse case after reaching an out-of-court settlement with his former partner, who accused him of assaulting her.

A district court in Berlin ended the trial after an agreement between state prosecutors and lawyers for Zverev and his former partner Brenda Patea. Zverev agreed to pay fines of 150,000 euros ($162,000) to the state and 50,000 euros ($54,000) to charitable organizations.

Zverev previously denied an assault allegation made by another woman. Those accusations were investigated by the ATP, but it said in January 2023 that there was insufficient evidence.

“The context complicates the reception of his success,” L'Equipe wrote. “Under German law, the payment of this sum does not constitute an admission of guilt. The proceedings concluded without any entry on his criminal record. He remains presumed innocent in a case that the courts will no longer adjudicate. Everyone will have to live with that. Her, him, you, us.”

The newspaper told the Associated Press that the decision not to feature Zverev as its main front page headline was primarily linked to the abundance of major sporting events over the weekend, including Formula 1's Monaco Grand Prix and the latest developments in cycling ahead of the Tour de France, as well as the fact that a French club won the handball European Cup.

Later, L’Equipe said Zverev interrupted when it was put to him during an interview on Monday that the subject of the accusations had been a subject of media discussion.

Zverev reportedly responded by saying: “Wait, first of all, it isn’t that kind of interview. Secondly, you know it has been proven that the accusations were false?”

He also added: “I’ve done everything I could do, and my innocence has been proven.”

L’Equipe then asked Zverev what his program will be in the coming weeks, to which L'Equipe said he replied: “I don’t know. I think we should stop (the interview), it's better."

On Sunday, L’Equipe had likewise not devoted its front page to Russian player Mirra Andreeva’s victory in the women’s singles final, rather focusing on cycling’s new French star Paul Seixas.

Last year, the newspaper's front page featured a full-page photo of Carlos Alcaraz hugging Jannik Sinner after their epic five-set men's final, widely considered one of the best French Open matches ever. A photo of Coco Gauff after her win over Aryna Sabalenka in the women's final dominated the front page the previous day.

Zverev became just the third German man in the professional era (since 1968) to win a major title and first since Boris Becker at the 1996 Australian Open.

In Germany, the Bild tabloid had a picture of Zverev with the trophy headlined “Alexander The Great,” but it was just one of a few different stories on the front page and noticeably alongside some World Cup team news. German chancellor Friedrich Merz congratulated Zverev for his “magnificent victory.”

“This outstanding performance," Merz wrote on social media, "has inspired and thrilled an entire nation."

James Ellingworth in Dusseldorf, Germany, contributed to this report.

AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis