Nick Kyrgios and his girlfriend formed a united front at Wimbledon today as he prepared for his quarter-final match against Chile’s Cristian Garín – hours after the Aussie was accused of assaulting an ex.
The controversial player, 27, held the hand of psychology student Costeen Hatzi, 22, before sharing a kiss for the cameras when they arrived at the All England Club this afternoon. Then she watched him train.
It was revealed yesterday that Kyrgios faces charges of assaulting his ex-girlfriend, model Chiara Passari, in an incident last year and will appear in court on August 2 in his hometown of Canberra. The charge carries a maximum sentence of two years in prison. †
Today he faces Garin for a spot in the Wimbledon semi-finals, but the match he is expected to win is in danger of being overshadowed by the allegations.
Kyrgios and Hatzi held hands and shared a kiss for the cameras as they arrived at the All England Club this morning ahead of its quarter-final match
The pair packed up the PDA when they arrived at SW19 and messaged that they weren’t shocked by the allegations
Miss Hatzi, dressed in white jeans and an oversized blue shirt, looked relaxed as she joined her boyfriend on a practice track. The pair put on a typical tactile display and shared a kiss next to the net
It was revealed yesterday that Kyrgios is facing allegations that he assaulted his ex-girlfriend, model Chiara Passari (pictured)
Miss Hatzi has remained steadfast ever since, posting about Kyrgios on Instagram and now standing by his side at Wimbledon.
Dressed in white jeans and an oversized blue shirt, she looked relaxed today as she joined her boyfriend at a practice track. The pair put on a typical tactile display and shared a kiss next to the net.
Yesterday Miss Hatzi reposted a clip from Kyrgios’ account of her posing in the mirror with Kyrgios’ sister Halimah.
Costeen, dressed in black pants, a white shirt and a Christian Dior bag, doesn’t seem to realize her boyfriend was filming.
Miss Hatzi, who lives with Kyrgios in Sydney’s Zetland, is a common sight at Wimbledon and appears to be supportive of her boyfriend as he continues his campaign.
The couple have been dating since December 2021 and Kyrgios is reportedly planning to propose marriage to Miss Hatzi in the near future.
According to initial reports, the charges were brought after Kyrgios allegedly caught Ms. Passari in December 2021.
However, ACT police confirmed to Daily Mail Australia that the alleged incident was not reported until December. It would have happened months earlier.
Ms Passari, who was allegedly pushed by Kyrgios, said she had nothing to do with the allegations that emerged just this week as Kyrgios prepared for the Wimbledon quarter-finals.
A police statement released Tuesday afternoon read: ‘ACT Policing can confirm that a 27-year-old Watson man is to appear before the ACT Magistrates Court on August 2 on one charge of ordinary assault following an incident in December 2021.’
Miss Hatzi has stood firm in the hours since the allegations emerged. She’s joking with Kyrgios on a practice track today
The pair were watched by crowds of spectators as they played together on a practice field in Aorangi Park
Kyrgios is seen by his supporters as a sympathetic villain and by critics as a tyrant in court
Kyrgios’ lawyer Jason Moffett, of Key Chambers, told The Canberra Times that his client was aware of the allegations, which were “in the context of a domestic relationship.”
“The nature of the allegation is serious and Mr Kyrgios takes the allegation very seriously.
“As the matter is in court…he has no comment at this time, but we will issue a press release in due course.”
Late Tuesday night, Kyrgios’ legal team released a statement denying the tennis star had been charged.
“At this time, the charges are not considered facts by the Court, and Mr Kyrgios will not be charged with a crime until the First Appearance,” the statement said.
“It may be misleading to the public to describe the Summons in any way other than a formal direction to face charges, the exact nature of which is not at this time certain, nor confirmed by the Prosecution or Mr. Kyrgios.”
Kyrgios is seen by his supporters as a sympathetic villain and by critics as a tyrant in court.
Costeen Hatzi, 22, a psychology student who traveled to London to support her, showed her support by reposting one of Kyrgios’ Instagram videos in the hours after news of the subpoena emerged. Above, Costan in the original Instagram video
Psychology student Costeen, pictured, just celebrated her 22nd birthday and the couple have moved into an apartment in Sydney suburban Zetland
His behavior has been the subject of controversy at Wimbledon, most notably in his matches against Briton Paul Jubb and Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas.
During his match against Jubb, the player appeared to spit at a spectator and yell swear words at the linesmen.
Tsitsipas described him as a bully with an evil side, which Kyrgios denied.
Kyrgios was fined $10,000 after his first round match for spitting at a fan, was warned on Saturday for swearing and then called for Tsitsipas to default after the Greek had a ball close to the head of a spectator after losing the second set.
Both players were fined Sunday.
Kyrgios’ family, who welcomed Miss Hatzi with open arms, remain steadfast in their support in the wake of the allegations, as his brother wrote on Instagram: “Haters and liars will always try to take us down – we’ll keep it 100 and continue .
Christos, who is a regular in the player trade when his brother plays, made the comment on an Instagram post by Kyrgios, urging his 2.3 million followers to “believe in themselves.”
‘That’s why I play. To all my youngsters out there, believe in yourself,” he wrote, alongside a photo of an adoring young fan at Wimbledon.
Miss Hatzi left a series of emojis in the comment section to which Kyrgios responded with a single love heart.