MELBOURNE, Australia — A heckler interrupted Alexander Zverev’s Australian Open final speech, appearing to make reference to the allegations of domestic abuse levied against him by two of his former partners, Olya Sharapova and Brenda Patea.

Alexander Zverev was heckled from the stands during the awards ceremony after the Australian Open men’s final. A protester in the crowd repeatedly screamed out: “Australia believes Olga and Brenda.”Many tennis fans in the stands and a number of those watching at home unfamiliar with the background to the outburst would have wondered what the commotion was about.

Ben Rothenberg reported on his Substack that the woman who heckled Alexander Zverev was met by two uniformed police officers after the incident but avoided an arrest. As the German tennis star was preparing for his runner-up speech,