Nikoloz Basilashvili, the Georgian tennis player, has been arrested on a domestic violence charge in the capital, Tbilisi.
Basilashvili, No 27 in the ATP rankings, is alleged to have assaulted his former wife, Neka Dorokashvili, in front of a minor on May 21st. A day later, the 28-year-old was arrested. On Sunday, Tbilisi city court decided on a bail of 100,000 Georgian Lari (around €28,000). The preliminary court date is set for July 16th.
In Georgia the charge of domestic violence in the presence of a minor carries a punishment of one-to-three years in prison or 200-400 hours of community service. Basilashvili's lawyer, Irma Tchkadua, has denied the charge.
Basilashvili is Georgia’s most successful tennis player in its history as an independent nation, having won three ATP 500 titles and acquired career prize money earnings of $5,479,761 (€4.9 million). He reached a career high of 16 in May 2019. Basilashvili married Dorokashvili in 2013 and in 2015 their only son, Lucas, was born.
"First of all, we would like to state that Georgian Tennis Federation (GFT) 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."
