Georgia’s No. 1 tennis player in hot water

Famous Georgian tennis player Nikoloz Basilashvili, has been charged with committing violence against his ex-wife. 

He was released yesterday on bail after paying 100,000 GEL (about $32,000), having spent three days in preliminary prevention. 

On July 16, the 28-year-old athlete will stand trial in which he will have to prove that he did not beat his ex-wife in the presence of their 5-year-old child.  

It was on such a charge that Basilashvili was detained on May 22 in his father’s house after his ex-wife Neka Dorokashvili went to the police.

The father of the tennis player, who was present during the alleged incident, is also participating in the case as a witness, and has been put on the no-fly list. 

What exactly happened in Avchala – the Tbilisi suburb where Basilashvili’s house is located is not known. Neither the injured party nor the accused have given details to journalists.

Basilashvili himself says he is not guilty of the charges against him. After his release, he published a post on Facebook, in which he expressed gratitude to his fans for their support in the difficult period.

Basilashviliili’s lawyer claims that the investigation has video evidence.

A statement released by the Basilashvili family says the ex-wife of the tennis player has long been trying to inflict reputation damage on him and has unreasonable financial claims. However, the statement said she did not have any evidence of physical abuse. 

The family also draws attention to the fact that Neka Dorokashvili opposed divorce, which was thus settled in court. The statement provides one more detail: a few months ago, Dorokashvili complained to the police about her ex-mother-in-law who allegedly beat her child, i.e. her grandson.  

However, the mother of the tennis player was acquitted by a court.

The statement said that Dorokashvili came to the house of her ex-husband’s parents without an invitation and purposefully tried to provoke a conflict.

“He rushed at us with some kind of weapon,” says Neka Dorokashvili

Neka Dorokashvili and the young child recognized have been recognized as the plaintiffs. 

Her press conference was scheduled for May 25, but she did not attend, according to the lawyer, because of a seriously challenging psychological state caused by the stress.

Dorokashvili’s statement said she went to Avchala, the ex-husband’s parental home, to pick up the child. According to her, Basilashvili physically insulted her, and his father chased her and the child with an object in his hands that resembled an ax.

In a two-minute interview with Rustavi 2 television company, Neka Dorokashvili stated that she did not understand the reasons for the ex-husband’s and father-in-law’s aggression – “maybe alcohol was the reason, I don’t know.” 

She could not accurately describe the object in the hands of the former father-in-law – “it looked like an ax, although he says he had a guitar.”  

According to Dorokashvili, she fled in fear for the child, and they were saved by a stranger who put them in her car. According to her, she underwent an examination and has evidence of the use of force against her.

Neka Dorokashvili is 27 years old. She met Basilashvili on Facebook.  Six months after they met, in 2013, they got married.  It was at that time that the sporting successes of Nikoloz Basilashvili began.

In an interview with the “yellow press” a year ago, Dorokashvili said that she had abandoned her modeling career and was fully committed to the family, because family support was very important for the successful performance of Nikoloz Basilashvili. Today she talks about systematic domestic violence by the tennis player.

According to her lawyer Anna Tavkhelidze, this is far from the only incident.  

“This requires additional investigation, and we hope that it will be carried out,” Anna Tavkhelidze said.

Public reaction

Nikoloz Basilashvili is the number one tennis player in Georgia.  The athlete is respected in the country, fans are proud of him.  The news of the tennis player’s troubles have caused a stir.

Public opinion is divided – some support the former wife of the tennis player, while others do not believe in the athlete’s guilt and call for a court verdict.

There are many rumors and accounts concerning the events. Some  say that the tension between the former spouses was caused by financial issues.  Dorokashvili allegedly claimed a certain amount and extorted it from her ex-husband, not shying away even from blackmail.  This version is categorically denied by the victim herself.