As German tennis player Alexander Zverev competes at Roland Garros, significant news has emerged regarding his legal situation. His ex-partner, Brenda Patea, "is no longer interested in pursuing the case," said Inga Wahlen, deputy spokeswoman for the Berlin criminal courts. The case against the world number four for assaulting his ex-romantic partner is now closed.

The complainant and the German tennis star have decided to "resolve this ongoing conflict peacefully, also in the interest of their child", the spokeswoman added. The tennis star agreed to pay €200,000 ($217,000) as part of the settlement, with the majority going to the state coffers and the remainder to a fund for charitable organisations.

The lawyers for Zverev, the fourth-ranked player in the world set to play the semi-final at Roland Garros against Norway's Casper Ruud (ranked seventh in the world) on Friday at 5.30pm local time, insisted in a statement that he "remains innocent".

The player had been accused of "physically abusing" the complainant and "endangering her health" during an argument, according to the court. The appeal hearing opened last week in Berlin, but Zverev was absent due to professional commitments.

The German was fined 450,000 euros in October over the allegations, but has appealed the decision. The 27-year-old was specifically accused of "briefly choking" Patea "with both hands" in May 2020, according to the court.

The alleged incident took place in the stairwell of his apartment building in Berlin, the court said. Patea is said to have suffered "breathing difficulties and significant pain" as a result of the attack.

Zverev, who has won 22 professional titles (including two ATP Finals in 2018 and 2021 and six Master 1000 titles) and the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, has denied the allegations.