Nick Kyrgios has been accused of assaulting his ex-girlfriend in a domestic violence incident that allegedly happened late last year.
The 27-year-old Australian tennis star, who is currently preparing for a quarter-final match at Wimbledon after a series of controversial matches, is accused of assaulting model Chiara Passari and faces a court hearing next month.
Kyrgios plays Chile’s Cristian Garin for a place in the semifinals of the Grand Slam on Wednesday.
“ACT Police can confirm that a 27-year-old Watson man is scheduled to appear in ACT Magistrates Court on August 2 on charges of joint assault following an incident in December 2021,” police said Tuesday afternoon.
The charge carries a maximum sentence of two years in prison.
Nick Kyrgios (pictured with his ex Chiara Passari) has been accused of assaulting his ex-girlfriend in a domestic violence incident said to have happened late last year
The 27-year-old Australian tennis star, who is currently preparing for a quarter-final match at Wimbledon, is accused of assaulting model Chiara Passari (pictured together) and faces a court hearing next month
Kyrgios’ attorney, Jason Moffett of Key Chambers, told the Canberra Times his client is aware of the charges, which are “related to a domestic relationship”.
“The nature of the allegation is serious and Mr Kyrgios takes the allegation very seriously,” he added.
“Given that the matter is in court … he has no comment at this time, but we will issue a media release in due course.”
The charges are understood to concern an allegation that Kyrgios grabbed his ex-girlfriend Ms Passari.
Kyrgios, widely known to his supporters as a loveable villain, is being fueled by his detractors to achieve his best Grand Slam result at Wimbledon.
Kyrgio’s current girlfriend, 21-year-old Costeen Hatzi (pictured), has traveled the world to support him throughout this year’s tennis season
Kyrgios has credited his new girlfriend for helping him focus on his game, calling her his “biggest blessing”, and insiders say she was instrumental in turning his life around after a turbulent few years (Kyrgios and Hatzi can be seen on a recent Instagram post)
He struggled with a shoulder problem but recovered from one set and then won the deciding set against 20-year-old American Brandon Nakashima on Monday by going 4-6 6-4 7-6(2) 3-6 , 6: 2 won the set a quarterfinal against the Chilean Garin.
Kyrgios’ fight against Stefanos Tsitsipas was undoubtedly the most talked about game of the tournament so far and he received a lot of criticism for his behavior on the pitch.
“Honestly, I don’t care,” Kyrgios said. ‘I’m just smiling. Its so funny. I joke about it so much with my team. It’s hilarious.
“I almost just wake up and read things, and I just laugh. And I never forget things that people say, like it was three, four years ago, things that just stick in my mind.
“I have a massive chip on my shoulder. I’m sitting here in the Wimbledon quarter-finals again and all I know is that there are so many people who are so upset.
Nick Kyrgios was joined at Wimbledon by his girlfriend Costeen Hatzi (left), who he began dating after his relationship with wife Passari soure
Kyrgios was fined $10,000 for spitting at a fan after his first-round match, was reprimanded for swearing on Saturday and then demanded that Tsitsipas be fined after the Greek after the lost second set hit a ball close to a spectator’s head.
Both players received fines on Sunday.
So far he’s been fined twice, spat at a fan and called the world No. 5 ‘soft’ in the first four rounds – but he’s combined that with brilliant tennis.
But it was a different story in his victory over Nakashima, where he showed exemplary behavior and a new level of focus.
An explosive meltdown seemed imminent in the final game of the fourth set as Kyrgios barely held at love to hand the set to the American.
Kyrgios showed exemplary behavior during his match against Brandon Nakashima at Wimbledon on July 4 after a heated match against Stefanos Tsitsipas over the weekend
Kyrgios’ drama-free performance differed greatly from his antics against Stefanos Tsitsipas
“Why would you tank this game? Because that’s what this game is right now,” the stunned nine-time Wimbledon doubles champion Woodbridge said in a comment.
“He’s throwing this game to see what might happen early in the fifth. He has to stay focused here, he’s lost.”
But Kyrgios, struggling with a nagging shoulder injury, defied expectations to settle in the final set and fight hard to secure a famous win.
His showmanship led the pundits at The Tennis Podcast to laud Kyrgios for his calmer approach in a brave five-set win over his American opponent.
“Who knows what will happen in the next few days but he’s already done things this week that I didn’t really think he could do. I didn’t have much to think he could do,” said pundit Matt Roberts.
“He beat a top five player over five sets, he won when there was a circus, he won when there was no circus, he hit a real emotional high against Tstispas and won the next match. That’s so important in slams.
“That’s how you win slams by doing it over and over again. He’s never really proven he can do that and he’s won even when he was down – he’s done it three times.
Co-hosts David Law and Catherine Whitaker supported Robert’s view, calling the win over Nakashima one of the greatest of his career. In particular, the “boring” nature of his win was “exactly what he needed”.