Georgia’s top tennis player Nikoloz Basilashvili has been cleared of physically and psychological assaulting his ex-wife following a lengthy legal battle.
According to legal documentation, the world No.93 was arrested on May 22nd 2020 for allegedly physically assaulting his former partner Neli Dorokashvili following a dispute. He was later charged with four cases of physical violence and one case of psychological violence. He was released two days later on a GEL 100,000 ($36,240) bail. Basilashvili, who attended some of the hearings via video link, has always maintained his innocence.
In a final ruling on Friday, the judge of the Tbilisi City Court, Khatuna Kharchilava, concluded that the 30-year-old is not guilty of the charges. Basilashvili was present at the announcement of the verdict but Dorokashvili was not.
“I was waiting for a fair decision, this is a very important moment and I am glad that a fair decision was made. I was worried, I went through a very difficult period in my life, my voice was broadcast very wrongly in the television space, it was very difficult to deal with so many false accusations, so I am very glad that everything is over,” Basilashvili told reporters afterwards.
However, the tennis star could face further challenges in the future after Dorokashvili’s lawyer hinted that she would appeal the decision on the grounds of ‘subjective assessments’ being made throughout the court case.
Prosecutor Natia Guruli claims that the court failed to properly evaluate the evidence brought against Basilashvili and disputes that he was affected psychologically by the court case.
“The prosecution categorically disagrees with the court’s decision. The prosecution had presented a number of clear evidence, which confirmed the issue of the accused’s guilt. The prosecution had the feeling that the court did not evaluate the evidence that exposed Nikoloz Basilashvili in the crime. It evaluated the objective evidence subjectively and shared the position of the accused and his family members,” said Guruli.
“We communicated the reasoned position to the court regarding the mentioned statement,” she added.
Basilashvili is a former top 20 player who has won five ATP titles during his career, including Doha and Munich this year. He will return to action on Monday at the Vienna Open where he will play top seed Daniil Medvedev in the first round.
