Alexander Zverev marched out of the Rolls Buildings near the Thames in an elegant twine and posed with parents and brother Mischa for a picture in court. The German tennis star achieved a liberating legal victory in London just before the end of the year. Zverev prevailed in the almost two-year-long argument with his former manager Patricio Apey.
“This is an important day for me, because I can leave behind an unfair and oppressive contract that I signed at the age of 15,” said the 23-year-old from Hamburg in a statement afterwards.
After the out-of-court settlement, Zverev’s lawyer Mark Stephens even spoke of a “complete humiliation for Apey and his lawyer.” Negotiation come.
For Zverev, whose name has garnered problematic headlines in addition to sporting highlights in 2020, Thursday’s conclusion is a boon even before the evidence begins. A construction site away from the tour is closed.
“Mr. Apey raised the white flag. Alexander Zverev is free from the contract that would have tied him to Mr. Apey for 16 years, ”said Stephens and pointed out that the judgment was a precedent and would protect young athletes better in the future. The process, which was initially scheduled for nine days, concerned the legality of a contract that he had signed as a junior player in 2012.
The paper should tie him to Apey until the end of 2023 and then provide for commission payments for a further five years, i.e. extend over large parts of his career. “I have the feeling that my son was cheated,” said Zverev’s father Alexander senior in the news magazine “Der Spiegel”. Zverev now emphasized that he hoped that the dispute “heightened the awareness of the young players and their families”, “that professional sports agents do not always act in their best interests.”
Former girlfriends cause trouble
After his triumph at the ATP Finals 2018, there was a rift between the two parties. The German star player terminated the collaboration 23 months ago, according to the news magazine Der Spiegel, but his former confidante insisted on continuing the collaboration, which resulted in the legal dispute. Initially, claims in the double-digit million range from Zverev are said to have been in the room.
Zverev, who has been marketed by the “Team8” agency since last year, can now breathe a sigh of relief. Lately, a lot was pounded into the US Open finalists. Shortly after the news that a former girlfriend was pregnant by him, another former partner contacted him and accused him of domestic violence, which Zverev vehemently denies. It is to be feared that 2021 will not be completely calm around the German number one. But at least the topic of Apey is off the table.
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