Nikoloz Basilashvili arrested in domestic violence incident

Top ATP player Nikoloz Basilashvili has been arrested in an alleged incident of domestic violence.

According to a story by Agence France-Presse, the 28-year-old native of the country of Georgia was charged Sunday with physically assaulting ex-wife Neka.

He was charged with perpetrating “violence against a family member committed in the presence of a minor,” per a prosecutor named Natia Guruli, with the Georgian Interior Ministy. He was released on $30,000 US bail.

The maximum sentence if he were to be convicted, per AFP, is three years in jail.

On Thursday, Basilashvili’s lawyer issued a written statement indicating the charges were “false and totally unsubstantiated.”

https://opencourt.ca/wordpress/2020/05/28/statement-in-basilashvili-domestic-violence-case/

It’s clearly been pretty big news in that country. There were also a couple of reports, unconfirmed, that Basilashvili’s father also was detained.

His national tennis federation issued a statement earlier Sunday.

“First of all, we would like to state that Georgian Tennis Federation has always condemned any form of violence. 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.”

The ex-Mrs. Basilashvili, in an interview broadcast on the Mtavari television station, accused her ex-husband of physically assaulting her on Friday.

Even worse, the assault allegedly occurred in front of their son Lukas, who just turned five a few weeks ago. The couple married in 2013, when Basilashvili was just 21.

Basilashvili’s lawyer, Irma Chkadua, said her client denies the charges.

A year ago this week, Basilashvili had risen to a career-high No. 16 in the rankings after reaching the semifinal in Lyon.

After winning just one match from the French Open through Wimbledon, he he won the 500-level tournament in Hamburg, beating Alexander Zverev in the semifinals and Andrey Rublev in the final.

His 2020 season, before the shutdown, was pretty sub-par. He’s currently ranked No. 27.