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Nick Kyrgios has pleaded guilty to assaulting ex-girlfriend Chiara Passari in 2021, but the ACT Magistrates Court has decreed no conviction be recorded.
Kyrgios had initially attempted to contest the charge on mental health grounds, but after fronting the court on Friday Magistrate Beth Campbell dismissed his case.
The court heard from Kyrgios’ psychologist Sam Borenstein, who described the tennis star as having ‘mild symptoms of depression’ but not a depressive illness, after which Kyrgios entered his guilty plea.
“As we speak now his mental health has improved significantly,” Borenstein said.
The court heard that after Kyrgios and Passari had engaged in a verbal altercation after having dinner, Kyrgios had attempted to leave in an Uber, but Passari blocked the passenger door from being closed.
After telling Passari to ‘leave me the f–k alone’, Kyrgios then moved her away from the doorway before pushing her to the ground, leaving her with a grazed knee, according to documents tendered to the court.
The court also heard the couple made up two days later and Passari didn’t report the incident to police until 10 months later.
Nick Kyrgios (Photo by Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images)
Campbell’s decision to not convict Kyrgios was based on what she considered an ‘impulsive and unfortunate response’ to the incident with Passari, which reportedly occurred on a night out in Canberra in January 2021, and that he had acted ‘in the heat of the moment’, according to the ABC.
Kyrgios has since released a statement to social media expressing his gratitude for the verdict.
“I respect today’s ruling and I’m grateful to the court for dismissing the charges without conviction,” he wrote on Instagram.
“I was not in a good place when this happened and I reacted to a difficult situation in a way I deeply regret. I know it wasn’t OK and I’m sincerely sorry for the hurt I caused.
“Mental health is tough. Life can seem overwhelming. But I’ve found that getting help and working on myself has allowed me to feel better and to be better.
“I can never thank [girlfriend] Costeen [Hatzi], my family and friends enough for supporting me through this process. I now plan to focus on recovering from injury and moving forward in the best way possible.”
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