Alexander Zverev and former British No 1 Laura Robson engaged in a ‘flirty’ and ‘awkward’ interview at the ATP Finals in Turin.
Zverev, who is world No 2, was speaking after he beat Andrey Rublev in straight sets in his first match at the prestigious event, which is viewed as the biggest in the tennis calendar after the four Grand Slams.
The German had impressed with his performance on court on Monday, but his post-match interview soon had fans talking.
To begin with, a beaming Robson said: ‘You just told me you weren’t even sweating out there.’
‘That’s not what I said,’ Zverev retorted as he smiled back. ‘I gave you a handshake… let’s be clear with the spectators.
Alexander Zverev and Laura Robson engaged in a ‘flirty’ interview at the ATP Finals in Turin
Zverev was speaking following his first game at the event which saw him beat Andrey Rublev
Zverev was beaming for much of the interview and couldn’t quite maintain his composure
‘I gave you a handshake but (you said) that was too formal. Then I tried to give you two kisses on the cheek and you said “no, you’re sweaty”.
‘And I said you complain about too many things.’
‘OK, well let’s just stick to the tennis then,’ Robson joked back.
The interview went on to discuss Zverev’s display against Rublev, with Robson’s comments about the German making just nine unforced errors leaving him chuckling.
However, as their conversation continued, Zverev struggled to contain his composure and added: ‘You make me nervous during this interview so I start mumbling and don’t know what to say anymore.’
Robson burst into laughter again, before she said: ‘Shall we stop there if you want to?,’ to which Zverev replied: ‘We can if you want to?’
The flirty nature of the conversation carried on as both individuals couldn’t stop beaming.
Robson added: ‘But if you’re nervous we can stop there. You’ve got time before the next game… two days.’
The 27-year-old joked that it was ‘the most awkward interview I’ve had this year for sure’
Robson, who was previously British No 1 is in a relationship with model James Yates
Zverev concluded the interview as he said: ‘This is the most awkward interview I’ve had this year for sure. OK, thank you I appreciate it.’
The 27-year-old – who has been dating German actress Sophia Thomalla since 2021 – is back in action later on Wednesday when he takes on Casper Ruud.
Robson – who retired from tennis in 2022 due to injuries and now regularly works as a pundit – is in a long-term relationship with model James Yates.
Meanwhile, Zverev, who was last year accused in court documents of physically abusing a woman in 2020, agreed to a settlement in the case in June. He agreed to pay Brenda Patea, the mother of his child, $217,820 (£168,679), but was found not guilty of any wrongdoing (Patea publicly identified herself as the victim in the case).
Last October, the Berlin-Tiergarten court issued a penalty order and a fine of around $488,000 (£377,907) against Zverev, who has denied Patea’s claims of abuse. He called the order ‘complete bulls***’ a month later.
Patea told German newspaper Suddeutsche Zeitung that Zverev choked her during an argument. Zverev has also been accused of domestic abuse by Olga Sharypova, a fellow tennis player and another ex-girlfriend of his.
Sharypova made the allegations – also denied by Zverev – in 2020, accusing him of punching her in the face and smothering her with a pillow.
The ATP investigated the claims (via an outside firm) for 15 months but ultimately did not discipline Zverev on the basis of insufficient evidence.
Following his settlement in June, Zverev said: ‘I told you so from the start, I told everybody. I’m happy that it’s over. Yeah, nothing else more to say.’
