Tennis star facing jail time after domestic violence charge
Georgian tennis star Nikoloz Basilashvili was charged on Sunday with physically assaulting his ex-wife, prosecutors said.
A court in the Georgian capital Tbilisi charged Basilashvili with perpetrating “violence against a family member committed in the presence of a minor” before releasing him on bail amounting to $30,000, prosecutor Natia Guruli said.
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The World No.27 faces up to three years behind bars if found guilty.
Basilashvili's ex-wife Neka Dorokashvili told the Mtavari TV station on Sunday that he “physically assaulted” her on Friday in the presence of their five-year-old son.
Basilashvili denied the charges, his lawyer Irma Chkadua told journalists.
The 28-year-old won his second ATP title at the China Open in 2018 by defeating World No.4 Juan Martin del Potro in the final, three months after winning the German Open in Hamburg.
He went on to defend the Hamburg title last year.
In May 2019, Basilashvili reached a career high of No.16 in the world.
“First of all, we would like to state that Georgian Tennis Federation has always condemned any form of violence,” it said in a statement.
“The incident involving Nikoloz Basilashvili is currently under police investigation and GFT will refrain from either announcing its position on the matter or making any comments until such investigation is completed.”
ATP and WTA tours extend suspension
There will be no professional tennis until the end of July after the ATP and WTA Tours extended their suspension last week.
The men's and women's tours were due to resume on July 13 following a hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic, but it was announced on Friday that has now been extended until the end of the month.
No tennis has been played since the end of February because of the global shutdown.
The new extension means ATP Tour events in Hamburg, Bastad, Newport, Los Cabos, Gstaad, Umag, Atlanta and Kitzbuhel are all cancelled while Lausanne, Bucharest, and Jurmala will now not host tournaments on the WTA Tour.
“Due to continued uncertainties surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, we regret to announce our decision to extend the suspension of the Tour,” said ATP Chairman Andrea Gaudenzi.
“Just like tennis fans, players and tournament hosts all over the world, we share in the disappointment the Tour continues to be affected in this way.
“We continue to assess all of our options in an effort to resume the Tour as soon as it is safe to do so.”
with AAP and Yahoo Sports Staff
