Tennis star Nick Kyrgios has plead guilty to assaulting his ex-girlfriend
Nick Kyrgios has plead guilty to assaulting his ex-girlfriend Chiara Passari.
The Australian tennis star arrived to the ACT Magistrates Court on crutches for the hearing.
The world number 20 male player wanted to have the charges against him dropped due to what he said was his fragile mental health.
His lawyers tried to cite Section 334 of the local Crimes Act, which give the court the power to dismiss charges if the accused is mentally impaired.
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However, that request was denied, according to ABC News, because he's not suffering any 'significant depressive illness' at the moment.
The charge related to an allegation that the tennis bad boy grabbed ex-partner Passari and pushed her over so he could close the door to his Uber during a fight in 2021.
Perth Now says Kyrgios told his then partner: "Leave me the f*** alone, I'm going home and don't want to be with you."
She suffered a sore shoulder and grazed knee in the incident.
She didn't go to police until 10 months later, which was after they had split up.
Kyrgios' lawyers told the court the tennis star that he's been experiencing mental health issues over the past few years.
They even submitted medical records spanning the last seven years as evidence.
He explained to Fox Sports how 2019 was a dark time for him following his performance at the Australian Open.
“I was lonely, depressed, negative, abusing alcohol, drugs, pushed away family and friends,” he said.
“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.”
The charge carries a maximum jail sentence of two years.
The hearing continues.
Topics: Australia
Stewart Perrie