Australian tennis star Nick Kyrgios has avoided a threatened conviction over an incident involving his former girlfriend. A court in the capital Canberra dismissed the corresponding lawsuit, as reported by the AAP news agency and other local media.
The 27-year-old previously admitted in the trial to having pushed his then-girlfriend to the ground during an argument near her home in January 2021. However, Judge Beth Campbell classified the severity of the crime as minor and saw no risk of repetition. Kyrgios was reportedly facing up to two years in prison for the attack.
According to the judge, after Kyrgios’ admission, he acted out of “stupidity or frustration”. Since it was a one-time and unintentional incident and the tennis professional had not yet committed a criminal offense, it was justified to refrain from punishment. At the time, the young woman reported shoulder pain and an abrasion on her knee, as well as later long-term consequences such as weight loss, it said. She officially reported the incident about ten months later after the couple separated.
Kyrgios gives psychological reasons
The world number 20, who appeared in court in crutches for a recent knee operation, apologized after the trial. “I am sincerely sorry for the pain caused,” it said in a written statement. He was also not in good mental shape at the time, he admitted. “I reacted in a difficult situation in a way that I deeply regret,” Kyrgios was quoted as saying. The 27-year-old came to the court date accompanied by relatives and his current girlfriend, it was said.
His lawyers tried in vain to have the case dropped for psychological reasons. A psychologist explained that Kyrgios suffered from severe depression and anxiety at times and resorted to alcohol and drugs. But now he’s doing better.
Highly talented but moody
The 2022 Wimbledon finalist canceled his participation in the Australian Open at short notice in January due to knee problems. The highly talented, but also often moody Australian was considered one of the great advertising media for the first Grand Slam tournament of the year. In the past, Kyrgios had been repeatedly noticed on the tennis court for his rowdy behavior and had to pay tens of thousands of dollars in fines. In the new tennis documentary “Break Point” on Netflix, the 27-year-old is the protagonist of the opening episode.
