Nick Kyrgios: Wimbledon finalist admits assaulting his ex-girlfriend in Australia

Magistrate calls common assault an act of ‘stupidity’ and ‘frustration’ but says it was not premeditated
Michael Howie3 February 2023
WEST END FINAL

Get our award-winning daily news email featuring exclusive stories, opinion and expert analysis

I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice.

Wimbledon finalist Nick Kyrgios has pleaded guilty to assaulting his ex-girlfriend in Australia.

A magistrate in the tennis star’s home town of Canberra did not record a conviction against the 27-year-old, describing the common assault as an act of “stupidity” and “frustration” but said it was not premeditated.

Magistrate Jane Campbell also dismissed the offence on the basis that it was at the low end of seriousness for a common assault.

A psychologist told the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Magistrates Court that Kyrgios had suffered severe depression, suicidal ideation and insomnia in the past but his mental health had improved.

The 2022 Wimbledon runner-up had pushed his former girlfriend Chiara Passari to the ground during an argument in January 2021, the court heard.

On Friday, Kyrgios’ psychologist, Sam Borenstein, said in a written report and testimony by phone the tennis star had suffered major depressive episodes in the past and had used alcohol and drugs to cope.

TENNIS-AUS-AUSTRALIA-KYRGIOS-COURT
Kyrgios leaving the court building after pleading guilty to the assault
AFP via Getty Images

His mental health had led to impulsive and reckless behaviour. Mr Borenstein added that the 27-year-old’s recent knee injury had resulted in mild to moderate symptoms of depression, but his mental health was improving.

Lawyers for Kyrgios had previously sought to have the assault charge stemming from events two years ago dismissed on mental health grounds but the application was unsuccessful.

In February last year, Kyrgios opened up about his performance at the 2019 Australian Open, saying what appeared to be a positive time in his life had been “one of my darkest periods”.

“I was lonely, depressed, negative, abusing alcohol, drugs, pushed away family and friends,” he wrote on Instagram.

“I felt as if I couldn’t talk or trust anyone. This was a result of not opening up and refusing to lean on my loved ones and simply just push myself little by little to be positive.”

Kyrgios made further references to his mental health struggles during his runs to the final at Wimbledon and the quarter-finals at the US Open.

After ending Daniil Medvedev’s US Open title defence in September last year to reach the quarter-finals, Kyrgios expressed pride at lifting himself out of “some really tough situations, mentally” and “some really scary places” off the court.

Kyrgios had a career setback last month when he withdrew from the Australian Open because of an injured left knee that required arthroscopic surgery.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in