Tennis star Alexander Zverev on Friday again denied allegations of past domestic abuse from his former partner and has started legal action following her detailed interview with a website.
Olga Sharypova, Zverev's former partner, first said she had been the victim of domestic violence in a since-deleted Instagram post last October. She later identified the perpetrator as Zverev to a Russian website and said he had attempted to strangle her with a pillow and hit her head against the wall while in a New York hotel room ahead of the 2019 US Open.
Sharypova said at the time that she feared for her life.
In an interview with Slate.com that was published Wednesday, Sharypova, a former junior tennis player, revealed other allegations of physical and verbal abuse by Zverev, including that he told her he wished she would die.
Zverev, the Olympic gold medalist who is currently ranked No. 4 after winning the Cincinnati Masters, issued a statement Friday calling the allegations "defamatory and false" and said he would be pursuing legal action against the source and the author of the piece.
"I have engaged my German and American lawyers in the matter," Zverev wrote in a statement on Twitter. "They have already obtained a preliminary injunction against the source and the author who published the false allegations. ... I categorically and unequivocally deny having abused Olya. I also fully support the creation of an ATP domestic violence policy. I will not address this matter any further."
A representative for Slate.com confirmed Zverev has started legal proceedings in Germany and said the company stands by "our fair and accurate reporting based on multiple sources and interviews."
The ATP said last weekend it would begin an independent review of its safeguarding policies, which it said is expected to include recommendations pertaining to domestic violence.
Zverev, speaking to the media on Friday as part of mandatory obligations at the US Open, said he would favor a policy.
"It's going to get sorted in these kind of situations,'' Zverev said. "I think it's good that the ATP is kind of renewing their rules a little bit because they've been there since the '80s and nothing has been changed in a way.''
Zverev was a finalist at the US Open last year. The tournament begins Monday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.