Wimbledon quarter-finalist Kyrgios due in Australian court in August
Lawyer says athlete not considered charged with offence until first court appearance
Wimbledon quarter-finalist Nick Kyrgios is due in court back home in Australia next month, and a lawyer representing him said Tuesday the "precise nature of" the allegations "is neither certain at this moment nor confirmed by either the prosecution or" the 27-year-old professional tennis player.
Kyrgios practiced at the All England Club on Tuesday, and the All England Club confirmed he is scheduled to play his match against Cristian Garin of Chile on Wednesday.
"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," attorney Pierre Johannessen wrote in a statement emailed to the media.
Johannessen wrote that "the allegations are not considered as fact" by the court, and Kyrgios is not "considered charged" with an offence until a first appearance in court.
The Canberra Times reported that Kyrgios is supposed to appear in court on Aug. 2. The newspaper cited local police as saying that a 27-year-old Australian man is involved in a case about "common assault following an incident in December 2021."
Canberra police did not immediately respond to an after-hours request for comment emailed by The Associated Press.
Kyrgios is scheduled to play Cristian Garin at Wimbledon on Wednesday. It's the third Grand Slam quarter-final of the Australian's career — he is 0-2 in the others — and first in 7 ½ years.
An ATP spokesperson said: "The ATP is aware of the Australian case involving Nick Kyrgios, but as legal proceedings are ongoing it would be inappropriate to comment further at this time."
