Nikoloz Basilashvili had a weight lifted from his shoulder after being acquitted by a court in his native Georgia on domestic violence charges against his ex-wife.
The ATP No. 94 who once stood 16th is competing this week in Vienna and faces top seed Daniil Medvedev on Wednesday.
A court in Tbilisi ruled the player innocent of the charge of domestic violence against a member of his own family in the presence of a minor.
The affair dragged on for two years, with Basilashvili serving three days in a pre-trial detention centre and posting bail of EUR 35.000 – now returned to him.
“This is an incredible feeling I have, and it is such relief for me, my family and my friends and supporters,” the winner of five career titles said in a statement released on Tuesday by his agent.
“I was innocent. I always was. I never did anything wrong. I have been abused and criticised and booed. I kept a low profile and never reacted and now I feel like I have my freedom back.”
