Nick Kyrgios assault: Case dismissed after tennis star pleads guilty for incident with ex-girlfriend Chiara Passari

Kieran Francis

Nick Kyrgios assault: Case dismissed after tennis star pleads guilty for incident with ex-girlfriend Chiara Passari image

Nick Kyrgios has pleaded guilty to a common assault charge involving his ex-girlfriend Chiara Passari but has escaped conviction.

In a case at the ACT Magistrates Court, the tennis superstar had been accused of pushing Passari out of the way while he was trying to close a door to an Uber.

Kyrgios had initially argued the case should be dismissed due to his mental health situation.

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However, that defence was withdrawn after it was found the 27-year-old was not currently suffering with a depressive mental illness.

Despite pleading guilty to one count of common assault, Kyrgios' case was dismissed by Magistrate Beth Campbell, who decided no conviction should be recorded.

According to court documents, the incident between Kyrgios and Passari occurred on January 10, 2021, with the pair outside the apartment where the latter lived.

The court heard Kyrgios ordered an Uber and entered the passenger side of the vehicle but was prevented from closing door by Passari - with the Uber driving refusing to leave until the door was shut.

It was alleged in the documents to the court that Kyrgios told Passari ,'just f***ing piss off', before pushing her with enough force to hit the ground and suffer a grazed knee and bruised shoulder.

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After being charged with assault last year, Kyrgios' case was adjourned until February 3 for the tennis star to undergo a mental health assessment.

The current world No.20 did not attend that hearing on October 4 because he was competing in the Japan Open.

Kyrgios' legal team was looking to have the charges dismissed on mental health grounds but ended up withdrawing that defence after the tennis star's mental health was examined.

Nick Kyrgios US Open
Getty Images

After withdrawing from the recent Australian Open because of injury, Kyrgios attended the court hearing on crutches following surgery to his knee.

Kyrgios' operation was a success according to his manager Daniel Horsfall, who revealed the star's recovery may be quicker than first thought.

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"The surgery went great to be honest, couldn't really have asked for a better result," Horsfall said.

"He's in a knee brace at the moment and has movement up until 70 degrees... The surgeon and the physio are really, really pleased. He might be recovering a bit faster than what we're expecting, so it's good news.

"When he's ready, we're [the team] ready." 

The Australian enjoyed the best year of his career in 2022, making the Wimbledon final and quarter-finals at the US Open.

Kieran Francis

Kieran Francis Photo

Kieran Francis is a senior editor at The Sporting News based in Melbourne, Australia. He started at Sportal.com.au before being a part of the transition to Sporting News in 2015. Just prior to the 2018 World Cup, he was appointed chief editor of Goal.com in Australia. He has now returned to The Sporting News where his passions lay in football, AFL, poker and cricket - when he is not on holiday.