Retired Australian tennis player Mark Philippoussis’s father Nikolaos Philippoussis was arrested on suspicion of molesting two children. The two victims were students of the 68-year-old tennis coach, claimed the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department. Nikolaos was jailed on multiple counts, including lewd and lascivious conduct with a child under the age of 14 and sexual intercourse/sodomy with a child under the age of 10.
Authorities have found no indication that Nikolas was affiliated with a tennis school and did not know how many students he had, said sheriff’s Lt. Greg Rylaarsdam. He declined to identify the genders of the victims or their age.
“We’re in the midst of this thing, not the end of it,” Rylaarsdam said.
Nikolas was arrested on Tuesday at his home in San Diego. Jail records do not identify any attorney representing him.
Mark Philippoussis was a two-time Grand Slam finalist who ranked as high as eighth in the world. He won the Davis Cup for Australia in 1999 and 2003.
His father was his coach until 2006, when he struck out on his own, according to The Sydney Morning Herald.
“My dad’s my dad. He’s been there from the start,” the newspaper quoted Mark saying at the time. “Without him, I wouldn’t be where I am. There’s nothing at all that’s happened with my dad. I just needed to spend some time on my own.”
The tennis star recently wrote on his Instagram account, “Happy Father’s Day dad, you were (and still are) always by my side protecting me and guiding me through life, and now watching you do the same with your grandson Nicholas is so beautiful to watch and I remain so grateful and blessed.”
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