Journalist starts GoFundMe in legal fight with Zverev

Renowned tennis writer Ben Rothenberg has asked the public to help him fund a legal case brought by tennis star Alexander Zverev, around his reporting of domestic violence allegations levelled at the German player.
A Washington Post report has revealed that since 2020 Rothenberg has been engaged in a protracted legal battle with Zverev. The case was brought over two stories involving allegations of abuse from Zverev’s ex-girlfriend Olga Sharypova. Zverev has repeatedly denied the claims.
Four years on, Rothenberg, who was sued in a German court to block his reporting on the topic, is now being forced to fight the legal battle on his own, because his publisher is no longer financially supporting the case.
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He launched a fundraiser to help cover the legal fees, which he says will be around 18,000 euros, or around $AUD 30,000.
If he wins the case, Rothenberg says he will donate the money to House of Ruth, a domestic violence shelter in Washington.
The journalist’s case will return to court in December, with his argument hinging on the claim that Rothenberg’s reporting met German media law’s “standard of evidence.”
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Rothenberg says he received word that Racquet would no longer fund the cost of appealing the Zverev case, because it didn’t want to pay to defend someone who was working for competitors.
Ben Rothenberg (inset). Getty
The journalist filed the second part of his story on Zeverv with a rival magazine.
Until then, he said, Racquet had been supportive, continuing to publish his work and assuring him that its media liability insurance policy would cover the legal bills.
“It’s been dispiriting,” Rothenberg said. “I don’t regret any of it … but it certainly has not made life easier.”
Zverev’s attorney maintains that the higher court will reject the appeal.
Rothenberg, a native of Washington DC, is is not in New York to cover this year’s US Open and says he has found it difficult to get credentials to the grand slams or gain access to players.
The tennis reporter confirmed with the publication that he may pivot to a new career path once the legal saga is over.
“Journalism,” he said, “just doesn’t seem like a very steady ground to be building any sort of future in.”