Nick Kyrgios summoned to court in Australia after being charged with assaulting ex-girlfriend Chiara Passari

Nick Kyrgios has been dealt a huge blow as an Australian court has charged him with assaulting a former girlfriend. The Australian player, who is now preparing to appear in the 2022 Wimbledon quarterfinals, has been summoned to court in Canberra next month for an alleged case of domestic violence.

The charge carries a maximum prison sentence of two years and relates to an incident involving his ex-girlfriend Chiara Passari. As per a report in the Canberra Times, the incident took place in December 2021.

In a statement, the police stated that the 27-year-old Australian has been charged with 'common assault' and will appear before the court in Canberra on August 2nd, 2022, which is less than a month away.

"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," the statement from the police read.

Barrister Jason Moffett from Key Chambers, representing Nick Kyrgios in the matter, said that Kyrgios is aware of the charge but will not comment on it at this stage in light of the impending court hearing.

"It's in the context of a domestic relationship," Moffettt said on the charge, adding, "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 and Passari started dating in mid-2020, a few months after he broke up with Russian tennis star Anna Kalinskaya. The duo ended their relationship in late 2021 after a heated verbal altercation during their quarantine stay in Australia. Nick Kyrgios is now engaged to Australian model Costeen Hatzi.

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Nick Kyrgios is aiming for his best singles result at a Grand Slam

Day Eight: The Championships - Wimbledon 2022

On the tennis front, Nick Kyrgios has matched his previous-best singles results at Grand Slams by reaching the quarterfinals of the 2022 Wimbledon Championships. He previously reached the quarterfinals at Wimbledon (2014) and the Australian Open (2015).

Kyrgios defeated American player Brandon Nakashima on Monday to reach the last-eight stage. Speaking after his match, the Australian reiterated that he is taking things one match at a time and is not focused on winning the title just yet.

"It's not my goal (winning the title). I told people around me that I wanted to fight for the title this year. I'm not thinking about lifting the trophy or reaching the semi-finals or the final (just yet)," said Nick Kyrgios.

He faces Chilean Cristian Garin on Wednesday in what will be a clash between two unseeded players.