Divisive tennis star Nick Kyrgios is set to face criminal charges in his native Australia after allegedly assaulting his ex-girlfriend, Canberra Times reports.
The controversial athlete, who is set to play the quarter-finals of Wimbledon on Wednesday, is reported to appear in court in Canberra, the Australian capital, next month. A statement from police in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) was circulated to local media on Tuesday afternoon. “ACT Police can confirm that the 27-year-old Watson man is scheduled to face ACT Magistrates’ Court on August 2 in connection with one count of joint assault following an incident in December 2021,” the statement read.
The charge is believed to relate to allegations that Kyrgios, ranked 40 in the ATP world rankings, had snatched away his former partner Chiara Pasari. A lawyer acting on Kyrgios’s behalf confirmed that his client was aware of the charge. “It’s in the context of a home relationship,” said Jason Moffat, who represents the tennis player. Canberra Times. “The nature of the allegation is serious, and Mr. Kyrgios takes the allegation very seriously. “Given that the matter is before the court … he has no comment at this point, but over time, we will issue a media statement.”
News of the assault charge comes after Kyrgios’s outrageous behavior caused a media storm during this year’s Wimbledon. On Monday, he got into a heated conversation with a journalist who asked him why he was deliberately violating the tournament’s dress code that dictates players to wear all-white. (Kyrgios wore a pair of red sneakers and a red hat in the center court after his victory over American Brandon Nakashima on Monday.)
“I do what I want,” Kyrgios said. When asked if he thought he was above the rules, he replied, “No, I’m not above the rules. I just love wearing Jordan’s. That’s okay. I’ll wear some Triple White tomorrow.”
The volatile player has already been fined $14,000 for two more breaches of tournament rules. The first was a $10,000 fine for spitting at a spectator after his first-round victory over Bull Gibb. He claimed he became angry at the clips after “someone just yelled I was filthy in the crowd today”, and accused fans of trying to “make disrespect”.
“That’s fine,” Kyrgios added, “but if I set you back, that’s what happens.”
The second fine came for an accident during a high-octane match against Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas. Kyrgios incurred a $4,000 fee to take the oath before the referee. (Tsitsipas received a separate fine of $10,000 during the match for recklessly hitting the ball – including into the crowd – after becoming frustrated with Kyrgios’ actions on the field.) Last month, Kyrgios estimated his professional fines totaled about $800,000.
