Chiara Passari, the ex-girlfriend of Nick Kyrgios, has broken her silence after the tennis star was accused of assaulting her and ordered to face court next month.
It was reported on Tuesday—the day before Kyrgios' Wimbledon quarter-final against Cristian Garin—that Kyrgios will appear in front of a Canberra Court on August 2. The 27-year-old is facing one charge of common assault after allegedly grabbing Passari during a December 2021 incident.
Speaking to News Corp, Passari said she informed ACT police of the incident in December, but only now has he been told to face a judge. Some fans suggested the timing of the summons was 'convenient' given his current progress at SW19, but Passari has suggested she had no influence over the timing of the order.
“Thank you," came her response to an Instagram follower who had suggested there was nothing suspicious on her part given such delays can often occur. "Finally someone smart enough to understand how the justice system works.” Kyrgios and Passari were involved in a highly publicised relationship from 2020 until late 2021.
The tennis star recently announced his engagement to model girlfriend Costeen Hatzi, who has been seen courtside at Kyrgios' matches so far during this year's Wimbledon Championships. His legal team have since responded to the allegations and said Kyrgios isn't officially charged until his first appearance in court.
"It's in the context of a domestic relationship," barrister Jason Moffett—who is representing Kyrgios—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."
Kyrgios is due to face Chile's Garin in the last eight at Wimbledon after he beat Brandon Nakashima in a five-set thriller last time out. The Australian was already fined $10,000 (around £8,200) earlier in the tournament for spitting at a spectator and could be penalised again for violating the dress code.
