Tennis: Nick Kyrgios due in court for common assault charge

Australia's Nick Kyrgios in a men's singles fourth round match on day eight of the Wimbledon tennis championships in London. Photo / AP

Nick Kyrgios has been charged with assaulting his ex-girlfriend.

The 27-year-old is due to face court in Canberra next month. The maximum sentence for common assault is two years in jail.

The tennis star, who plays in a Wimbledon quarter-final on Wednesday night, is accused of grabbing his former partner Chiara Passari.

"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 on Tuesday.

Attorney Pierre Johannessen wrote a statement emailed to the media.

"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," it read.

Nick Kyrgios and Chiara Passari. Photo / Instagram

Johannessen wrote that "the allegations are not considered as fact" by the court, and Kyrgios is not "considered charged" with an offense until a first appearance in court.

Kyrgios was reportedly silent when approached by reporters after he practised at Wimbledon overnight.

The All England Club confirmed he is scheduled to play his quarter-final match against Cristian Garin of Chile tonight NZT.

"We 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," an All England Club spokesperson said Tuesday. "We are in touch with Nick's team and he remains scheduled to play his quarterfinal match tomorrow."

Passari and the tennis star started dating in the middle of 2020, just three months after Kyrgios split from Russian tennis player Anna Kalinskaya.

They dated on-and-off for about 18 months, before Kyrgios confirmed he was in a new relationship with Costeen Hatzi in December last year.