By Erik Gudris | Wednesday, July 6, 2022
Nick Kyrgios, win or lose at this year's Wimbledon, will do battle on another kind of court - this time on legal grounds.
According to the Canberra Times, the Australian tennis star has been summoned to face a court next month in Australia's capital, Canberra, after allegedly assaulting a former girlfriend in December 2021.
Chiara Passari, Kyrgios' former partner, made the charge to Australian authorities. If convicted, Kyrgios faces a maximum jail sentence of two years.
Both local police and an attorney confirmed the charge along with that Kyrgios and his representatives have been briefed on the matter.
An Australian barrister told the Canberra Times about the charge, "It's in the context of a domestic relationship. The nature of the allegation is serious, and Mr. Kyrgios takes the allegation very seriously."
Kyrgios reached his first-ever career major semifinal at Wimbledon with a straight sets win over Cristian Garin. After the win, Kyrgios offered few details about the pending court case.
"Obviously I have a lot of thoughts, a lot of things I want to say, kind of my side about it," Kyrgios said in his post-match press conference. "Obviously I've been advised by my lawyers that I'm unable to say anything at this time. Look, I understand everyone wants to kind of ask about it and all that, but I can't give you too much on that right now."
Australian player Alja Tomljanovic, who previously dated Kyrgios for two years before breaking up in 2017, was asked about the allegations after losing her quarterfinal singles match to Elena Rybakina.
"I'm not really aware of what's being said." Tomljanovic said.
When pressed by a reporter she added, "It's been a while since our relationship ended. Obviously I've always kept my relationship very private. I would like to keep it like that. I'm definitely against domestic violence. I hope it gets resolved. But I haven't had that experience with him."
Tomljanovic later took to Twitter to express her disapproval on being asked about Kyrgios right after her match.
Kyrgios's attorney stated that his client was "committed to addressing any and all allegations once clear."
Kyrgios and Passari began dating in 2020 according to the New York Post. They broke up last October after an argument that resulted in a police visit to their hotel in Adelaide after she accused Kyrgios of cheating on her.
Kyrgios will next face Rafael Nadal in the Wimbledon semifinals.