Revelations by ACM that tennis superstar Nick Kyrgios has been charged with common assault sent shock waves around the world.
Social media photos of Kyrgios and his ex-girlfriend Chiara Passari have been plastered across media outlets and the scrutiny is set to intensify when Kyrgios takes to the court for his first Wimbledon quarter final since 2014.
The Canberra Times broke the bombshell news last night that Kyrgios is slated to face the ACT Magistrates Court on August 2 in relation to one charge of common assault following an incident in December 2021 that involved his ex-girlfriend Chiara Passari.
The brash Canberran is no stranger to the blowtorch of scrutiny on and off the court and he fended off criticism of a potential breach of the Wimbledon dress code just one day ago by saying:
"It's more attention for me. What's that saying? 'Any publicity is good publicity', right?"
Kyrgios' quarter-final against unseeded Chilean Cristian Garin at the All England Club is scheduled Court 1 on Wednesday at 11:15 (AEDT).
He, though, didn't seem to be enjoying the latest publicity as he cut a dejected figure after a practise session at SW19 on Tuesday.
He refused to comment when confronted by cameras and a large media contingent, then sombrely departed the club, notably without girlfriend Costeen Hatzi, a constant at previous sessions this campaign and who he declared on Monday to be obsessed with.
Kyrgios spent the first week of the championships being probed in his post-match press conferences about his on-court behaviour after being fined $A17,600 following his first-round win over British wildcard Paul Jubb and another $A5,800 after a fractious third-round victory over Stefanos Tsitsipas.
He can expect another lively press conference after playing Garin, win or lose.