Nick Kyrgios pleads guilty to assault, has no conviction recorded Carlos Alcaraz wins 1st match of the year at Argentina Open Dominic Thiem wins 1st match of 2023 at Argentina Open

CANBERRA, Australia. Australian tennis star Nick Kyrgios has apologized for pushing his ex-girlfriend to the ground two years ago after he managed to avoid conviction on assault charges.

The 2022 Wimbledon finalist pleaded guilty in the Australian Capital Territory Magistrates Court to assaulting Chiara Passari during an altercation in his hometown of Canberra in January 2021.

Justice of the Peace Beth Campbell did not register a conviction for Kyrgios for reasons including that the crime was at a low severity level for an ordinary assault, was not intentional, and he had no criminal record.

Kyrgios, who walked on crutches after undergoing recent surgery on his left knee, ignored reporters’ questions as he left the court but issued a statement through a management company.

“I respect today’s decision and am grateful to the court for dropping the charges without conviction,” Kyrgios said. “I was not in the best place when it happened, and I reacted to a difficult situation in a way that I deeply regret. I know it wasn’t good and I’m truly sorry for hurting me.

“Mental health is tough. Life can seem overwhelming. But I found that getting help and working on myself helped me feel better and become a better person,” he added.

The only media question he answered as he was about to be taken away from court was, “What’s next for Nick Kyrgios?”

“Just get well and get back on the court,” Kyrgios replied.

Campbell called the push an act of “stupidity” and “frustration”.

She assured him that his fame did not prevent him from avoiding a criminal record.

“You are a young man who is particularly good at hitting a tennis ball and your name is widely known outside of this courtroom,” Campbell told Kyrgrios.

“I treat you exactly the same as I treat any young man in this court.

Kyrgios’ psychologist Sam Borenstein stated in a written report and telephone testimony that Kyrgios was suffering from major depressive episodes around the time of the attack and was using alcohol and drugs to cope. Kyrgios’ mental health has led to impulsive and reckless behavior.

His recent knee injury resulted in mild to moderate depressive symptoms, but his mental health was improving, Borenstein said.

“He is doing very well,” Borenstein said. “His mental health has greatly improved.”

“Given history, he is still subject to recurring episodes of depression depending on life circumstances,” Borenstein added.

Kyrgios’ lawyers sought the dismissal of the charge on mental health grounds, but the petition was unsuccessful.

Opposing the fixation of the guilty verdict, defense attorney Michael Kukulies-Smith cited manager Kyrgios’s view that there was “a high potential for sanctions and sponsorship impact” in connection with the conviction. Kyrgios faced a maximum prison sentence of 2 years if found guilty.

The attack came as Kyrgios tried to leave Passari during an altercation late on January 10, 2021 outside her apartment in Canberra’s inner suburb of Kingston.

He called for an Uber, but Passari stood in his way, closing the front passenger door. The driver did not leave with the door open.

Kyrgios eventually pushed Passari’s shoulders backwards with open palms, causing her to fall to the pavement and graze her knee, according to the agreed facts read in court.

Passari signed a police report about the attack 11 months later, after her relationship with Kyrgios ended.

His current partner, Kostin Hatzi, wrote in the character’s description that she was not bothered by such violence in her relationship. Hatsi was among Kyrgios’ supporters who sat behind him in court.

Dressed in a dark suit and leaning on crutches, Kyrgios made his first appearance in court when a magistrate asked him if he could stand up to plead guilty.

Kyrgios replied, “Yes, don’t worry, your honor” as he stood up to plead guilty.

Last February, Kyrgios spoke about his performance at the 2019 Australian Open, stating that what seemed like a positive period in his life was “one of the darkest periods of my life.”

“I was lonely, depressed, negative, abused alcohol, drugs, pushed away family and friends,” he wrote on Instagram. “I felt that I could neither speak nor trust anyone. It was the result of me not opening up and refusing to rely on my loved ones and just forcing myself to be positive little by little.”

Kyrgios made further mention of his mental health issues during last year’s runs to the Wimbledon final and the US Open quarter-finals.

After completing Daniil Medvedev’s title defense at the US Open last September and reaching the quarter-finals, Kyrgios expressed pride in being able to get out of “some really difficult psychological situations” and “some really scary places” off the court.

Kyrgios, 27, suffered a career setback last month when he withdrew from the Australian Open due to a knee injury that later required arthroscopic surgery.

BUENOS AIRES. Runner-up Carlos Alcaraz won his first match of the year by beating Laszlo Jere 6-2, 4-6, 6-2 at the Argentine Open.

The 19-year-old US Open champion missed the Australian Open with a leg injury and lost the top spot to Novak Djokovic, who won the title in Melbourne.

Alcaraz will face Dusan Lajovic in the quarterfinals of the clay court tournament. Lajovic beat Camilo Hugo Carabelli 6-3, 6-1.

Local favorite Diego Schwartzman and 2020 US Open champion Dominic Thiem will battle it out for a place in the quarter-finals.

BUENOS AIRES — Dominic Thiem has achieved his main goal at the Argentine Open by taking his first win of the year after suffering a stomach injury and struggling with his form.

Tim, the 2020 US Open champion, whose career-best finish is 3rd, entered the tournament with the number 99 and said he feared losing his safe place in the top ATP tournaments if he continued to fall in the rankings.

The 29-year-old Austrian beat seventh seed Alex Molchan 7-6 (4), 6-3 in a clay tournament. In the second round, Thiem will face Juan Pablo Varillas.

Tim won in Buenos Aires in 2016 and 2018. Most recently, he was eliminated in the first round of the Australian Open by Andrey Rublev.

This year’s reigning champion Kasper Ruud will miss the tournament. The main attraction is runner-up Carlos Alcaraz, who will face Laszlo Jere in the second round.