German court drops case against Alexander Zverev after settlement with ex-partner

BERLIN (AP) — A German court on Friday dropped a case against tennis star Alexander Zverev after he agreed to pay fines of 200,000 euros ($218,000) and reached an out-of-court settlement with his former partner.

A district court in Berlin ended the trial with the agreement of state prosecutors and lawyers for both Zverev and his former partner, Brenda Patea, German news agency dpa reported. Zverev agreed to pay fines of 150,000 euros to the state and 50,000 euros to charitable organizations.

Zverev, the world No. 4, was facing a charge of causing bodily harm to Patea during an argument in Berlin in May 2020, with prosecutors alleging that he pushed her against a wall and choked her. Zverev denied any wrongdoing.

The matter came to trial after Zverev contested a penalty order issued in October, including a requirement for him to pay fines amounting to 450,000 euros ($490,000). Penalty orders are used in Germany as a means of resolving some criminal cases without going to trial if the suspect does not contest the order.

Judge Barbara Lüders told the court she was dropping the case after lawyers for Zverev and Patea held talks in recent days about ending their disputes “at all levels in which there were disagreements in recent years.”

The former couple wanted to end their public feud and “look forwards,” also in regard to “their joint custody of their child,” Lüders said.

Zverev, who faces Norway’s Casper Ruud in the semifinals of Roland Garros on Friday, did not appear before the court. Patea testified as a witness in a session that was closed to the public.