Nick Kyrgios was gushing about how ‘obsessed’ he is with his girlfriend Costeen Hatzi just hours before it came to light he’d been charged with assaulting his exNick Kyrgios was gushing about how ‘obsessed’ he is with his girlfriend Costeen Hatzi just hours before it came to light he’d been charged with assaulting his ex

Just hours before he was accused with assaulting his ex, Nick Kyrgios was gushing about how ‘obsessed’ he is with his girlfriend Costeen Hatzi.

The 27-year-old will return to Australia to appear in court next month on charges that he assaulted model Chiara Passari in an alleged incident in December of last year.

The Wimbledon fourth round winner over Brandon Nakashima spoke extensively about his personal life and team after the match.

‘I’ve got an incredible support crew. My physio is one of my best friends. My best friend is my agent. I’ve got the best girlfriend in the world,’ he told reporters.

‘I’ve just got so many people around me, they just support me.’

He said he often was stuck to his phone reading comments about his performance following big matches, but with Ms Hatzi, 22, by his side he could ‘switch off’.

‘When you get a result like this it’s so easy to be attached to technology – seeing everyone’s opinions on the match or highlights, everything like that,’ he said.

‘But I feel like I’m really able to switch off from that. And that’s a big part of my growth.

‘Obviously being obsessed with my girlfriend helps, but I’m just able to let that go and enjoy my dinner and wake up the next day and separate tennis and life.’

Ms. Hatzi has been supporting her boyfriend as he competes in Wimbledon from the stands.

On Monday, during one of Kyrgios’ practise sessions, the two had a courtside kiss.

Minutes after the alleged assault surfaced on Tuesday, he showed up for practise as usual, choosing instead to train on the court that was farthest from the assembled media.

‘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 last night.

The maximum sentence for the offence is two years in prison.

The 27-year-old, who was surrounded by his entourage, seemed composed as he prepared for his Grand Slam quarterfinal matchup.

Kyrgios said he “felt like he was in The Last Dance” as he left the practise courts shortly after the charges became public, alluding to the upcoming film about basketball legend Michael Jordan.

The tennis player also sent a post to his 2.3 million Instagram followers encouraging them to “believe in themselves.”

‘This is why I play. To all my youngsters out there, believe in yourself,’ he wrote alongside a photo captured of an adoring young fan at Wimbledon.

Ms Hatzi, left a series of emojis in the comment section which Kyrgios responded to with a single love-heart.

The tennis star is scheduled to play Chile’s Cristian Garin on Wednesday to win a spot in the Grand Slam’s semi-final.

Kyrgios’s barrister Jason Moffett, from Key Chambers, told The Canberra Times 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,’ he added.

‘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.’

It’s understood the matter concerns an allegation Kyrgios grabbed ex-girlfriend Ms Passari.

Late on Tuesday night, Kyrgios’ legal team released a statement denying the tennis star had been charged.

‘At the present time, the allegations are not considered as fact by the Court, and Mr Kyrgios is not considered charged with an offence until the First Appearance,’ the statement said.

‘It may be misleading to the public to describe the Summons in any other manner than a formal direction to appear to face allegations, the precise nature of which is neither certain at this moment nor confirmed by either the Prosecution or Mr Kyrgios.’

Kyrgios was approached by BBC sports news correspondent Laura Scott as he returned from a training session on Tuesday afternoon.

She asked the athlete if he had any comment regarding the allegations.

Kyrgios is then seen telling a man in his entourage: ‘I feel like I’m in the Last Dance’ – in a reference to the 2020 documentary on Netflix.

The mini-series gave insight into the life and career of the famous basketball star during the Chicago Bulls’ final championship season in 1997.

Kyrgios, known largely to his supporters as a loveable rogue, is being fuelled by his critics in a bid to achieve his best grand slam result at Wimbledon.

He struggled with a shoulder problem but recovered from a set down and then clinched the decider against 20-year-old American Nakashima on Monday, winning 4-6 6-4 7-6 (2) 3-6 6-2 to set up a quarter-final with Chile’s Garin.

Kyrgios’ battle against Stefanos Tsitsipas was undoubtedly the most talked-about match of the tournament so far, and he received plenty of criticism for his on-court behaviour.

‘Honestly, I don’t care,’ Kyrgios said.

‘I just smile. It’s so funny. I joke around with my team about it so much. It’s hilarious.

‘I almost just wake up and read things, and I just laugh. And I never forget things people say, whether it was three, four years ago, things that just stick with me.

‘I have a massive chip on my shoulder. I sit here now in the quarter-finals of Wimbledon again, and I just know there’s so many people that are so upset.’

Kyrgios was fined $10,000 after his first-round match for spitting towards a fan, was warned for swearing on Saturday and then called for Tsitsipas to be defaulted after the Greek hit a ball close to a spectator’s head after losing the second set.

Both players received fines on Sunday.

So far, he has been fined twice, and called the World No. 5 ‘soft’ for the opening four rounds – but he has combined that with brilliant tennis.

But it was a different story in his win over Nakashima where he showed model behaviour and a new level of focus.

An explosive meltdown seemed imminent in the final game of the fourth set when Kyrgios put hardly any effort into his service game to hand the set to the American.

‘Why would you tank this game? Because that is exactly what this game is at the moment’, stunned nine-time Wimbledon doubles champ Woodbridge said in commentary.

‘He’s throwing this game to see what might happen at the start of the fifth. He needs to stay focused here, he’s lost his way.’

But Kyrgios, who was battling a nagging shoulder injury, defied expectations to lock down and compete hard in the final set to secure a famous victory.

His showmanship prompted experts on The Tennis Podcast to laud Kyrgios for his calmer approach in the gutsy five-set victory over his American opponent.

‘Who knows what will happen over the next few days but he has already done things this week that I didn’t really think he could do. I didn’t have much belief he could do,’ pundit Matt Roberts said.

‘He’s beaten a top 5 player over five sets, he’s won when there was a circus, he’s won when there wasn’t a circus, he’s backed up a real emotional high against Tstispas and won the next match. That’s so important in slams.

‘That’s how you win slams, by backing it up and doing it over and over again. He’s never really demonstrated that he can do that and he’s also won when he was a set down – he’s done that three times.’

David Law and Catherine Whitaker, Roberts’ co-hosts, agreed with him and said the triumph over Nakashima was one of his biggest victories in his career.

With both players and fans unclear of what to anticipate when the natural talent takes the court, Kyrgios has made a career out of being unpredictable.

The athlete, who is rated No. 40 in men’s singles and No. 29 in doubles, defeated Rafael Nadal of Spain at Wimbledon in July 2014 to become the first adolescent to defeat a world No. 1 at a grand slam.

He is a two-time Grand Slam quarterfinalist and a six-time ATP singles winner.

After winning three ATP championships in 2016, Kyrgios reached his highest singles ranking of No. 13 in October of that same year.

Additionally, Kyrgios, who was ranked 144th at the time, made history by defeating a world No. 1 at a grand slam.

Together with partner Thanasi Kokkinakis, Kyrgios won his second grand slam doubles championship at the Australian Open in Melbourne in January 2022.

The former classmates won the Australian Open men’s doubles championship for the first time since 1997.

For his victories in both singles and doubles, Kyrgios is thought to have taken home a total prize money of US$9,905,710.

Kyrgios has had sponsorship offers from prestigious brands during his career, including Yonex, Nike, and Beats.