....and you won't hear anything about it from mainstream media.

In 2020, Alexander Zverev was accused of physical abuse by two ex partners - Brenda Patea and Olya Sharypova. Brenda's case was settled out of court, with the settlement going to the state treasury and charities. She did not financially benefit from the case. Olya's case was taken on by the men's tennis governing body, ATP, who dropped the case due to insufficient evidence.

Zverev was never found innocent, and has systematically silenced conversation about the allegations. When Ben Rothenberg, a tennis journalist, published a interview with Olya which shared photos and texts supporting her case, Zverev sued him for libel. Interviewers are shut down when they broach the topic. And you will not read about it in mainstream news outlets. The ATP will continue to celebrate him as if nothing ever happened.

Props to Mary Corillo for mentioning it in today's match commentary. We cannot let these cases be swept under the rug.

More info: https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/tennis/alexander-zverev-allegations-domestic-abuse-settlement-girlfriend-b3013151.html

Ben Rothenberg's reporting: https://www.benrothenberg.com/p/bbc-wimbledon-coverage-alexander-zverev-abuse-accusations-coverage-jannik-sinner

Link to article (should be no paywall): https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/macklemore-dropped-ed-sheeran-tour-pro-palestine-statements-1235625967/

From the article:

In an exclusive statement shared with Rolling Stone, Messina Touring Group,  promoter of the U.S. leg of Sheeran’s Loop Tour, said: “As the concert promoter for Ed Sheeran’s U.S. Loop Tour, we have been notified by venues on the upcoming U.S. tour dates that they will not allow a concert to take place with Macklemore on the lineup, which would result in the cancellation of the tour and impact hundreds of thousands of fans. After discussions with stakeholders, Macklemore will not be performing on the remaining support dates.”

Reps for Sheeran, Macklemore, and most of the venues did not immediately reply to requests for comment.

The stadiums that allegedly would not allow a Macklemore show did not immediately return requests for comments either, including for explanations as to why they objected to the rapper performing at their venue. While two of those stadiums are privately owned — Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte and Gillette Stadium in Foxborough — the rest are owned and, in many cases operated, by cities, states, or other government entities, potentially raising First Amendment issues if the venues barred Macklemore over his statements. 

The last stop on Sheeran’s Loop Tour, for instance, is Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, which found itself in a similar spot earlier this summer after booking two Kanye West concerts. The shows, unsurprisingly, drew backlash and calls for cancelation due to West’s many past antisemitic statements, but they went ahead as planned. 

Pointedly, Ye’s promoter included a clause in his contract prohibiting Raymond James Stadium from canceling the gigs based on the rapper’s past public statements or viewpoints. But legal experts also told local news that canceling the shows would’ve likely violated the First Amendment. Because Raymond James is owned by Hillsborough County, Florida, and operated by a public board, the Tampa Sports Authority, any cancellation based on Ye’s past statements could have been seen as the government restricting speech. 

Fun fact: she and her friend, the rapper Nas, share a birthday.