Australian tennis player Nick Kyrgios has been charged with assaulting ex-girlfriend Chiara Passari from an incident stemming from December 2021, according to news.com.au.
‘It’s in the context of a domestic relationship,” lawyer Jason Moffett told Australia’s 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.”
Kyrgios — who is scheduled to play in a quarterfinal at Wimbledon on Wednesday against Christian Garin — is due in court in Canberra on Aug. 2, and could face two years in prison if he is found guilty.
“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,” police said Tuesday.
Kyrgios and Passari began dating in July 2020. They broke things off after an argument last October that resulted in a police visit to their hotel in Adelaide.
The altercation occurred after Passari accused Kyrgios of cheating in a post on Instagram, in which she shared a photo that appeared to show him in bed with a “naked girl.” Kyrgios reportedly denied the cheating claim at the time.
Kyrgios has since moved on with Costeen Hatzi — a Sydney-based blogger and social media influencer — and went public with the relationship on Instagram last December.
That same month, Passari told Daily Mail Australia that Kyrgios “moved on so quickly” after they split that fall because he is “afraid to be alone.”
At the time, Passari claimed Kyrgios was texting her “about feelings.” Passari also warned that Hatzi “has no idea what she’s in for,” adding, “The exact same things happened to me.”
