BBC axe tennis bad boy Nick Kyrgios from Wimbledon coverage after backlash following his assault of ex-girlfriend

Nick Kyrgios is not due to return for the BBC's coverage of Wimbledon this year, despite the Australian appearing as a pundit on last summer's Championships.

It comes after the broadcaster copped backlash after including the 30-year-old tennis player in its coverage of the 2024 tournament, 12 months after Kyrgios had admitted to assaulting his former girlfriend Chiara Passari.

The Telegraph now claims that the BBC won't be welcoming the Australian former Wimbledon runner-up back for its coverage for the 2025 event.

The outlet adds that he will not appear on ESPN's American coverage of the event. He had joined up to work for the broadcaster at the Australian Open in January following his first-round exit by Jacob Fearnley. The seven-time winner on the ATP Tour had worked for ESPN for their Australian Open coverage back in 2024 also.

Sources state that Kyrgios had planned to enter the tournament, unlike last year, despite now having withdrawn from the event.

Kyrgios has been hampered by injuries over the past two years and a fresh injury setback at the start of June saw him explain to fans on social media that he would no longer be able to participate in the grass season.

Nick Kyrgios has reportedly been dropped by the BBC from it's Wimbledon coverage

The BBC received backlash last year after including Kyrgios on it's coverage a year after he admitted to assaulting his ex-girlfriend Chiara Passari

'I've hit a small setback in my recovery and unfortunately won't make it back for grass season this year,' Kyrgios posted on social media.

'I know how much you've all been looking forward to seeing me out there, and I'm genuinely sorry to disappoint. This is just a bump in the road though, and I'm already working hard to get back stronger than ever.'

The BBC defended their decision to hire Kyrgios after MPs and multiple other groups condemned their decision to hire the Australian.

Conservative MP Caroline Noakes and the women and equalities committee chair, questioned the appointment of Kyrgios to the BBC's coverage, saying it was insulting towards women.

'The BBC should hang its head in shame at this appointment,' said Nokes. 'It's a disgrace and shows the utter contempt our national broadcaster has towards women.

'Not content with consistently underpaying their own female staff and forcing out women once they hit a certain age, they now bring a man who admitted assaulting a woman on board for Wimbledon.'

Jamie Klingler, a co-founder of the Reclaim These Streets campaign group, said: '‘It’s amazing how quickly we are willing to dismiss violence against women as long as the man perpetrating that violence is good at hitting a ball.’

Amid the storm of criticism, the BBC justified its position.

Caroline Nokes says Kyrgios's presence on the TV coverage shows 'contempt to woman' after he pled guilty to assaulting his ex-girlfriend, Passari (left)

The BBC defended their decision to hire Kyrgios after MPs and multiple other groups condemned their decision to hire the Australian

'As a current and high profile player, Nick Kyrgios will provide insight and analysis of the action on the court from his experience in the game,' the BBC said in a statement.

'We are in no way condoning his cited previous actions or behaviours, on and off the court, and he is employed to share his views on tennis only. He has provided similar services to other major sports broadcasters in recent months.

'The legal process he was involved in has concluded, is well documented, and he has spoken about it publicly.'

The charges against Kyrgios were dismissed, despite the tennis player pleading guilty to shoving his ex-girlfriend. In her judgement, Magistrate Beth Campbell said the act was a 'single act of stupidity' adding that the act was not planned or premeditated. Kyrgios avoided a criminal conviction.

He later explained he 'deeply regretted' the incident.

'I know it wasn't OK and I'm sincerely sorry for the hurt I caused,' Kyrgios added.

The 30-year-old has battled back from foot, knee and wrist injuries over the past two years, but his withdrawal means he will extend his absence at the Grand Slam for the third year on the bounce.

Kyrgios had appeared to make a comeback on the ATP Tour at the end of last year, having overcome undergoing surgery on a wrist-ligament injury.

The 30-year-old had pulled out of this year's Wimbledon championships, meaning it is the third year in a row he will not be competing at the tournament

It also comes after he reportedly split up with his girlfriend Costeen Hatzi in recent months

But the issue, among several other problems, have plagued Kyrgios over the past seven months.

An abdominal strain suffered in January threatened to derail his Australian Open comeback before Kyrgios went on to suffer defeat in the first round by Jacob Fearnley.

He has since struggled to play, citing rustiness in his wrist, making just four appearances so far this season, while winning just one match against Mackenzie McDonald at the ATP Masters in Miami in March.

During his injury hiatus, Kyrgios was also critical of the doping saga that engulfed Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner last year.

The Italian was later banned for three months for breaching the World Anti-Doping Agency's (WADA) rules last year after he provided two positive drugs tests.

‘Two world No 1s both getting done for doping is disgusting for our sport,’ Kyrgios said, referring to Sinner and Iga Swiatek, who also accepted a doping suspension last year. ‘It’s a horrible look.

‘Tennis integrity right now, and everyone knows it but no one wants to speak about it, it’s awful.’

However, American sports journalist Jon Wertheim appeared to claim on his Served podcast that Kyrgios' repeated attacks on Sinner related to the Italian dating his ex-girlfriend Anna Kalinskaya.

Kyrgios later rubbished those claims stating that he was happy with his most recent girlfriend Costeen Hatzi.

However, in recent months The Herald Sun reports that Kyrgios and Hatzi, who has frequently been seen supporting him on the ATP Tour, have broken up.

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