Pep Guardiola and Man City won the Premier League again – but their club has questions to answer

A cloud hovered over Manchester City as they won the Premier League title once again on Sunday and the same could be said of the big winner in men’s tennis on the same day.

City clinched the Premier League crown for a record-breaking fourth successive year, with Pep Guardiola’s dream team seeing off a spirited challenge from Arsenal to reclaim their title.

Yet amid their celebrations, critics continue to raise the 115 charges of financial rule-breaking that have been levelled at them by Premier League chiefs, with a decision on what could be a game-changing punishment if they are found guilty expected to be delivered later this year.

So many of the headlines on the morning after City’s historic title win focused on their potential imminent demise if they are found guilty in their looming legal battle with the Premier League and this story has comparisons to the biggest winner in tennis last Sunday.

Germany’s Alexander Zverev won the title at the Rome Masters in impressive fashion and like City, media coverage of his win highlighted a huge issue on his horizon as his trial for domestic physical abuse, in an incident involving ex-girlfriend Brenda Patea from 2020, is due to get underway on May 31.

Zverev’s glory in Rome was a fine reward for his efforts to bounce back from that horror ankle injury at the 2022 French Open, yet his success at the top of the men’s game does highlight a topic few tennis commentators have been willing to mention over the last couple of years due to the sensitivity of the topic.

The core facts are that Zverev is set to stand trial later this month over an allegation of domestic abuse from an ex-partner, with the German vehemently denying the allegations on several occasions.

Inevitably, he has been asked about the domestic abuse charges he is facing in Germany in his press conferences at tennis tournaments but Zverev has refused to get drawn into comment on the subject he has doubtless been advised not to comment on by his legal team.

READ MORE: Alexander Zverev’s ominous Novak Djokovic warning is about to be tested to the full

Last November, Zverev was given a penalty order and fined after being accused of physically abusing his ex-girlfriend and he quickly lodged an objection against the order, meaning he remains legally innocent and is not convicted until a final ruling.

German law states sentences in cases of physical abuse to range from a fine or up to five years in prison, with Zverev already issued with a €450,000 fine that he has appealed.

The allegations against Zverev led to scrutiny when his role as an ATP Player Council member was announced in January.

In an interview with Clay magazine, Miguel Angel Reyes‐Varela – a doubles player, who is also on the Player Council  – was asked about the case.

He went on to claim that action would be taken if the German was found guilty while adding it would be “unfair” if any action was taken before the trial – and if he was found innocent.

“I have asked the ATP about their position on the matter, what they knew or what information they had. I did that at the Australian Open, prior to the first session we had as a group,” said Reyes‐Varela.

“I wanted to know what the institution’s position was, and how they would act. The ATP told me that in the end there is a judicial process that Sascha himself will have to resolve, and we will see with the final verdict.

“If he is declared innocent, imagine if he were to be removed from the Council right now. It would be somewhat unfair, wouldn’t it? If he is found guilty, then the measures will be taken.

“I’m not sure about the details of the case, I don’t know enough. It’s wrong of me not to be more informed.

“I have not talked to Sasha personally. I don’t know him very well, but from a meeting and a couple of details there I have seen that he does want to contribute to the Council and tennis issues.

“From the outside, I think that would be a personal decision if, for him, the work in the Council would take time and effort that he would not want to devote to concentrate fully on his career and deal with his situation off the court.

“If that were the case, then I think that would be his decision and I think everybody would accept it, right? But from there to us saying that he cannot be there or that he should be put on hold – I think it is not up to us.”

Zverev does not need to present in court when his case gets underway on May 31 and that is good news for the German who will hope to be playing in the third round of the French Open on that date.

Yet tennis chiefs will have a problem to solve if Zverev is found to be liable for the charges levelled against him, with the trial likely to continue well into June.