Brazilian police are investigating domestic abuse allegations against tennis star Thiago Seyboth Wild.
Former girlfriend Thayane Lima, a biomedic and a social media influencer, had revealed in August that Seyboth Wild had physically assaulted her when they were in a relationship.
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Brazilian publication Universo Online (UOL) reported that the tennis player was under investigation and had been issued a restraining order preventing him from seeing Lima.
“One day, he hurt my finger, because he squeezed it until it almost broke just because he got angry when I published a photo on social media, alone and not with him,” Lima was quoted as saying by UOL.
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“We were at a dinner with his parents and then he shook my hand a lot, My finger turned purple and swollen.
“When Thiago got angry, he pushed me, pulled my hair, called me a bi**h, s**t, garbage, dumb. I lived at home, I didn’t go out for anything while he was travelling.”
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The lawsuit filed against Wild is being overseen by lawyer Gabriela Amábile who is seeking compensation for ‘material and moral damages’ on behalf of her client.
Seyboth Wild, 21, had become the first player from his country to win a junior Grand Slam when he captured the 2018 US Open boys’ title. Not surprisingly, the Brazilian has denied all wrong doing and said Lima’s claims were ‘untrue and defamatory.’
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“This crime of which I was a victim is already being duly investigated by the competent authorities,” Seyboth Wild said in a statement.
“Regarding the disdainful statements about me, I have to clarify that they are defamatory and libellous practices that are also the object of civil and criminal proceedings already underway.
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“Although we are all far from perfect, I am happy to say that these false, fabricated, and vengeful claims are in no way a reflection of my character or actions.”
Tennis has been hounded by domestic abuse allegations for more than a year now.
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Georgia’s Nikoloz Basilashvili was charged with assaulting his ex-wife in June 2020. Later that year, in October, Alexander Zverev’s former girlfriend Olga Sharypova accused the German star of physical assault.
Zverev’s case has polarized the tennis world and last week, during the Laver Cup, John McEnroe and Reilly Opelka openly mocked the German for claiming he was ‘innocent’.
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“The way that it’s (been) handled hasn’t been good for anyone,” Andy Murray recently said of the lingering allegations against Zverev.
“I don’t think it’s been great for the Tour. I don’t think it’s been great for Zverev, because you know, unless it gets addressed head-on, it’s just going to be lingering, and, like you say, the questions will continue to be getting asked.
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“Obviously, it’s not been properly addressed, and until that happens, then players are going to continue to get asked about it.”
