Court Dismisses Guilty Plea by Australian Tennis Star Nick Kyrgios in Assault Case

The unexpected chain of events in the packed courtroom stemmed from an altercation in January 2021, in which Mr. Kyrgios was accused of having shoved Chiara Passari, his former partner, during a dispute when she tried to prevent him from leaving in an Uber.

The couple briefly split after the alleged incident, then reconciled. Ms. Passari, an Australian model, did not report the matter to the police until they had separated once again, in December 2021.

In a post on Instagram after the hearing, Mr. Kyrgios thanked the court for dismissing the charge, cited mental health difficulties at the time of the incident and thanked his friends, family and new partner, Costeen Hatzi.

“I was not in a good place when this happened, and I reacted to a difficult situation in a way I deeply regret,” he said. “I know I wasn’t OK, and I’m sincerely sorry for the hurt I caused.”

“Mental health is tough,” he said, adding: “I now plan to focus on recovering from injury and moving forward in the best way possible.”

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/02/world/australia/nick-kyrgios-assault.html