Nick Kyrgios has court case adjourned to October

Associated PressAug 23, 2022, 1:55 PM EDT

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CANBERRA, Australia — Nick Kyrgios didn’t appear in an Australian court and had his case of common assault adjourned until Oct. 4.

The 27-year-old Kyrgios, who was not required to attend the Australian Capital Territory Magistrates Court, was represented by his lawyer Michael Kukulies-Smith. He was not required to enter a plea or apply for bail.

Kukulies-Smith asked for the case to be adjourned until Nov. 25 but magistrate Louise Taylor rejected that request and scheduled it for Oct. 4.

Kyrgios remains in the United States preparing for in the U.S. Open, which starts next week.

The charge relates to an incident in January of last year in Canberra that was reported to Australian Capital Territory Police in December. It reportedly involves his former girlfriend, Chiara Passari.

Kukulies-Smith told the court Kyrgios “spends very little time” in Canberra, where he grew up.

Kukulies-Smith foreshadowed making an application at a future court date “capable of finalizing the matter,” but did not provide details.

Police charged Kyrgios by summons in July, when he was making a career-best run at Wimbledon. The charge carries a potential maximum of two years in prison.

Kyrgios reached his first Grand Slam final at Wimbledon before losing in four sets to Novak Djokovic. He said at the time he’d been advised by his lawyers not to make any comment on the legal case.

Kyrgios could be facing more legal action in Britain. A tennis fan who was temporarily removed from Centre Court during the men’s Wimbledon final following a complaint by Kyrgios said she is bringing defamation proceedings against him in a bid to clear her name.

Gael Monfils withdraws from French Open with wrist injury

Associated PressJun 1, 2023, 11:34 AM EDT

Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports

PARIS — A thrilling five-set victory took a toll on Gael Monfils, whose withdrawal from the French Open handed No. 6 Holger Rune a walkover to the third round.

The 36-year-old Frenchman said he has a strained left wrist and can’t continue.

He battled Sebastian Baez for nearly four hours on Court Philippe Chatrier before beating the Argentine 3-6, 6-3, 7-5, 1-6, 7-5 in a first-round match that ended at 12:18 a.m. local time.

The victory was Monfils’ first at tour level this year, as the veteran was coming back from heel surgery.

“Actually, physically, I’m quite fine. But I had the problem with my wrist that I cannot solve,” he said. “The doctor say was not good to play with that type of injury. Yesterday was actually very risky, and then today definitely say I should stop.”

Monfils reached the semifinals at the French Open in 2008 and made it to the quarterfinals on three other occasions.

Mikael Ymer fined about $40K after default for hitting umpire stand with racket

Associated PressMay 31, 2023, 3:55 PM EDT

Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

PARIS — Swedish tennis player Mikael Ymer was docked about $40,000 after being disqualified for smashing his racket against the umpire’s chair at a tournament the week before he competed at the French Open.

An ATP Tour spokesman said Ymer forfeited about $10,500 in prize money and 20 rankings he earned for reaching the second round of the Lyon Open. Ymer also was handed an on-site fine of about $29,000.

The spokesman said the ATP Fines Committee will conduct a review of what happened to determine whether any additional penalties are warranted.

The 56th-ranked Ymer, who is 24 and owns a victory over current No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz, was defaulted in Lyon for an outburst late in the first set against French teenager Arthur Fils last week.

Ymer was upset that the chair umpire would not check a ball mark after a shot by Fils landed near a line. As the players went to the sideline for the ensuing changeover, Ymer smacked the base of the umpire’s stand with his racket twice – destroying his equipment and damaging the chair.

That led to Ymer’s disqualification, making Fils the winner of the match.

After his 7-5, 6-2, 6-4 loss to 17th-seeded Lorenzo Musetti in the first round at Roland Garros, Ymer was asked whether he wanted to explain why he reacted the way he did in Lyon.

“With all due respect, I think it’s pretty clear from the video what caused it and why I reacted the way I reacted. Not justifying it at all, of course,” Ymer replied. “But for me to sit here and to explain? I think it’s pretty clear what led me to that place. I think that’s pretty clear in the video.”