Kyrgios admits the assault on his ex-girlfriend, the court files: ‘Isolated act’

Nick Kyrgios appeared in court in Canberra on crutches after knee surgery on 23 January. He pleaded guilty to having pushed his ex-girlfriend – Chiara Passari – to the ground on January 10, 2021. And he was acquitted by judge Beth Campbell, who considered the seriousness of the situation “low-level” and detected the danger of a recurrence, defining the incident as an act of “stupidity” and “frustration”.

The reconstruction

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The incident dates back to two years ago and took place outside Kyrgios’ apartment in the Canberra suburb of Kingston. After an argument, the tennis player pushed Passari who prevented her from closing the car door: the girl fell to the ground, reporting pain in her shoulder and a graze on her knee. Passari reported the incident to the police the following month but did not file a formal complaint: the relationship between the two continued, Passari then filed a formal complaint eleven months later, when the relationship had ended.

I motives

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Kyrgios was defended by attorney Michael Kukulies-Smith, who explained how Kyrgios tried to defuse the matter by calling an Uber and repeatedly attempted to “legally” remove Passari from the car. “It was in that context and in the resulting frustration that my client reacted and the offense occurred,” he said. “There is a relationship between mental health and the offender, even if today he no longer suffers from it to the same extent”. Sam Borenstein, Kyrgios’ psychologist, provided evidence that the tennis player suffered from severe and recurring depression and anxiety.

Kyrgios’ reaction

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After the sentence, Kyrgios sent a message via Instagram stories: “I have reacted to a difficult situation in a way that I deeply regret. I know I did something wrong and I apologize for the pain I caused. Mental health is a tough thing. Life can feel overwhelming. But I understood it by getting help, working on myself allowed me to feel better and to be a better person”.