LONDON: Novak Djokovic says he has backed a domestic violence policy for tennis following accusations leveled at Alexander Zverev after he reached the top four in the ATP final on Friday.
Serbia defeated their German rival 6-3, 7-6 (7/4) and will face US Open champion Dominique Thiem in the semifinals on Saturday.
Zweirev, who won the 2018 ATP final in London, is competing in the shadow of serious abuse claims made by his ex-girlfriend Olga Sharipova.
He vehemently denies the allegations made by the former junior player on Instagram and in two media interviews, but has not paid any attention to them in detail.
The men’s touring ATP was criticized for not giving a public response until last week, when it issued a public statement saying it “fully condemns any form of violence or abuse.” does”.
Many major American sports have a policy on how to deal with such situations, and Djokovic believes tennis should follow the same path.
“I’ve known Sasha (Xavier) for a long time since he was very young,” he said. “I have always had a very good relationship with him. He is a very good man. I have a lot of respect for him and his family. I am sorry to hear that he is going through this.
“I don’t know what happened. Obviously, I do not support any kind of violence. Should ATP formulate a policy? Yes why not? Maybe it should be in place.
Tennis has largely lined up around Xavier, with one notable exception being Australian Deria Garilova saying she believes in Sharipova, and Djokovic has offered his help to the Germans.
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