Nick Kyrgios ex-girlfriend assault case: Australian star breaks silence as Ajla Tomljanovic weighs in
Nick Kyrgios has spoken for the first time since having assault allegations levelled at him, while ex-partner Ajla Tomljanovic was also grilled on the topic after her Wimbledon exit.
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Nick Kyrgios says he isn’t going to be distracted from his goal of winning Wimbledon even after it was revealed he has been summonsed to an Australian court over an alleged assault.
Asked about the pending court date at a news conference at Wimbledon on Wednesday, Kyrgios said he could not talk about it for legal reasons.
“Obviously I have a lot of thoughts, a lot of things I want to say, kind of my side about it,” he said.
“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.”
Quizzed on whether the reports affected his preparation and performance in his 6-4 6-3 7-6 quarter-final win over Chile’s Cristian Garin, Kyrgios said it hadn’t - but it didn’t mean he had thought a lot about it.
“Didn’t really affect me at all, to be honest with you,” he said.
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“Obviously seeing it -- I’m only human. Obviously I read about it and obviously everyone else was asking questions.
“It was hard. It was hard to kind of just focus on kind of the mission at hand. It was quarterfinals of Wimbledon today. I know deep down that’s what I was prepared for.
“It didn’t really affect my preparation at all. I knew I stayed true to myself and give my best performance today.”
Tomljanovic dated Kyrgios for about two years before they split in 2017.
“I’m not really aware of exactly what’s being said about whatever his past relationship and the allegations. I don’t know what it is,” she said.
“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, yeah, I mean, I haven’t had that experience with him.”
It was announced on eve of Kyrgios’ quarter-final that he received a summons to appear in the ACT Magistrates Court on August 2 in relation to a charge of common assault following an incident in December 2021.
The matter relates to his former partner Chiara Passari and the charge carries a maximum jail sentence of two years.
“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,” a police spokesperson said.
The matter relates to his former partner Chiara Passari and the charge carries a maximum jail sentence of two years.
‘In touch with Nick’s team’: How Wimbledon is handling Kyrgios
—Julian Linden and Derrick Krusche
For once, Nick Kyrgios is keeping his lips sealed. And wisely so.
The outspoken Australian that has divided the tennis world with his incredible play and unruly behaviour has been shooting his mouth off at anyone and everyone since he arrived at Wimbledon.
But after the news broke from Australia that he had been summonsed to face a Canberra court over an alleged assault, he was keeping quiet – leaving the talking to his legal team.
Kyrgios’ lawyers released a statement confirming he would not be making any public comment and also criticising reports that he had already been charged, saying he had been summonsed, not charged.
“Until the Court formally accepts the Prosecution will be proceeding with a charge, and that the charge before the Court is to be applied to the person summoned to appear, it may be misleading to the public to describe the summons in any other manner than a formal direction to appear to face allegations,” his lawyers said.
“While Mr Kyrgios is committed to addressing any and all allegations once clear, taking the matter seriously does not warrant any misreading of the process Mr Kyrgios is required to follow.”
A spokesperson for the All England Club said the tournament organisers “have been made aware of legal proceedings involving Nick Kyrgios in Australia, and as they are ongoing, we are not in a position to offer a comment.”
In a statement, the spokesperson added: “We are in touch with Nick’s team and he remains scheduled to play his quarter-final match tomorrow.”
Wimbledon chief executive Sally Bolton addressed the controversial character of Kyrgios on Monday.
“We don’t have a clear view of what is considered to be a perfect champion,” she told reporters. “And it’s a long way to the final so let’s see what happens.”
Kyrgios did not play on Tuesday because his next match – a quarter-final against Chilean baseliner Cristian Garin is scheduled for Wednesday – so there was no requirement for him to attend a press conference – which have been as entertaining as any of his matches.
But he did hit the practice courts where he was confronted by British television cameras asking him to comment on the allegations involving his former girlfriend.
As expected, given that the matter has not yet gone to court, Kyrgios did not reply to any questions about the allegations, though he was overheard muttering to a member of his entourage that “I feel like I’m in The Last Dance,” – a reference to the Netflix hit series about Michael Jordan’s time at the Chicago Bulls.
The tennis star later took to Instagram, urging his 2.3 million followers to “believe in themselves”.
“This is why I play. To all my youngsters out there, believe in yourself,” he captioned the post alongside a photo captured of an adoring young fan at Wimbledon.
His current girlfriend Costeen Hatzi, 21, left a series of emojis in the comment section of the post to which Kyrgios responded to with a single love-heart.
After Novak Djokovic won his five set quarter-final with Italian Jannick Sinner, he spoke only about his own match and next opponent.
Kyrgios is due to play his quarter-final on court 1 on Wednesday – the early hours of Thursday in Australia.
As with his earlier matches, he is likely to face a mixed reception from the crowds who remain deeply divided about him after he’s spat at spectators, argued with officials and sworn in his previous matches.
He’s also been one of the most scrutinised players in the championship and that won’t change after the allegations emerged rom Canberra.
He received a summons to appear in the ACT Magistrates Court on August 2 in relation to a charge of common assault following an incident in December 2021.
“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,” a police spokesman said on Tuesday night.
The matter relates to his former partner Chiara Passari and the charge carries a maximum jail sentence of two years.
News of the charge comes after Kyrgios had already dominated headlines in the last week in relation to his antics at Wimbledon.
An Aussie moving within reach of the hallowed British grand slam final would usually be enough to trigger an avalanche of green and gold support in his homeland.
But Kyrgios’ behaviour on and off court at the All England Club such as taunting opponents has split opinion.
Aussie Wimbledon champion Pat Cash said: “He’s brought tennis to the lowest level I can see as far as gamesmanship, cheating, manipulation … aggressive behaviour to umpires, to linesmen.”
Famously fiery tennis great John McEnroe said it was “sad in a way”. “The guy could be unbelievable,” McEnroe said.
But Mark Edmondson, the last Aussie man to win the Australian Open, told The Daily Telegraph: “You don’t just want robots … He’s putting bums on seats, therefore he has to be OK for the game.
“It would be nice if he didn’t do some of the things but you get what you get.
“I think he is bringing a lot of people to the game and not because he’s awful but because he’s exciting.”
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