OFF COURT

Wimbledon Tennis Star Nick Kyrgios Charged With Assaulting Ex-Girlfriend

The Australian athlete faces as much as two years behind bars if convicted.

Divisive tennis star Nick Kyrgios is set to face criminal charges in his native Australia after allegedly assaulting his former girlfriend, The Canberra Times reports.

The controversial athlete, who is set to compete in a Wimbledon quarterfinal match on Wednesday, is reportedly due to appear in court in Canberra, the Australian capital, next month. A statement from police in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) was shared with local media on Tuesday afternoon. “ACT Policing can confirm a 27-year-old Watson man is scheduled to face the ACT Magistrates Court on the 2nd of August in relation to one charge of common assault following an incident in December 2021,” the statement read.

The charge is believed to relate to an allegation that Kyrgios, the world No. 40 in ATP rankings, grabbed his former partner, Chiara Passari. A lawyer acting on behalf of Kyrgios confirmed his client was aware of the charge. “It’s in the context of a domestic relationship,” Jason Moffatt, who is representing the tennis player, told The Canberra Times. “The nature of the allegation is serious, and Mr. Kyrgios takes the allegation very seriously. “Given the matter is before the court... he doesn’t have a comment at this stage, but in the fullness of time we’ll issue a media release.”

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News of the assault charge comes after Kyrgios and his trademark petulant behavior have created a media storm during this year’s Wimbledon. On Monday, he got into a heated exchange with a journalist who asked him why he had deliberately broken a tournament dress code that dictates that players have to wear all-white. (Kyrgios donned a pair of red sneakers and a red cap on Centre Court after defeating American Brandon Nakashima on Monday).

“I do what I want,” Kyrgios said. Asked if he thought he was above the rules, he answered: “No, I’m not above the rules. I just like wearing my Jordans. That’s OK. I’ll wear some Triple Whites tomorrow.”

The irascible player had already been fined $14,000 for two other breaches of tournament rules. The first was a $10,000 fine for spitting toward a spectator after his first-round win over Paul Jubb. He claimed to have become incensed with the heckler after “someone just yelled out I was shit in the crowd today,” and he accused the fan of attempting to “stir up disrespect.”

“That’s fine,” Kyrgios added, “But if I give it back to you, that’s just how it is.”

His second fine came for an incident during his high-octane match against Greek ace Stefanos Tsitsipas. Kyrgios incurred a $4,000 charge for swearing at the umpire. (Tsitsipas received a separate $10,000 fine himself during the match for hitting the ball recklessly—including into the crowd—after becoming frustrated with Kyrgios’ on-court antics). Last month, Kyrgios estimated that his total career fines stood at around $800,000.

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