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Despite pleading guilty to physically assaulting his ex-girlfriend Chiara Passari, Nick Kyrgios was not convicted by the ACT Magistrates Court in Canberra. Tennis journalist Jon Wertheim, however, is more in disbelief over the fact that the ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) hasn't suspended the controversial Australian star yet.
Kyrgios and Passari had an argument on January 10, 2021, when the 27-year-old tennis player pushed her onto the pavement as she stopped him from driving away, injuring her knee in the process. The couple started dating in mid-2020 and broke up in late 2021, after which Passari made a formal complaint against Kyrgios.
On Friday, February 3, Magistrate Beth Campbell decided not to convict the World No. 20, calling the incident "a single act of stupidity or frustration." Kyrgios' lawyer Michael Kukulies-Smith argued that after multiple attempts to "lawfully" move Passari away from the car, his client acted the way he did in frustration.
Wertheim took to social media to share the news, informing his followers that the 2022 Wimbledon finalist had avoided a criminal conviction.
"Nick Kyrgios spared a criminal record after pleading guilty to assault," Wertheim tweeted.
One of Wertheim's followers, who could not believe that the player was allowed to walk free despite pleading guilty, wrote:
"Make it make sense."
The 52-year-old journalist responded by suggesting that the ATP should take action against Kyrgios and suspend him now, implying that anything otherwise would not make sense, especially now that he has pleaded guilty in court.
"Make the absence of an ATP suspension make sense," Wertheim responded.
"Grateful to the court for dismissing the charges without conviction" - Nick Kyrgios
After his assault charge was dropped on Friday, Nick Kyrgios thanked the court for not convicting him and expressed regret for his actions against his ex-girlfriend Chiara Passari.
"I respect today’s ruling and I am grateful to the court for dismissing the charges without conviction,” he said. “I was not in a good place when this happened and I reacted to a difficult situation in a way I deeply regret. I know it wasn’t OK and I am sincerely sorry for the hurt I caused."
He went on to thank his current girlfriend Costeen Hatzi, his family, and friends for standing by him throughout the trial, adding that he will now focus on recovering from the knee injury that has prevented him from playing any competitive tennis in 2023 so far.
"Mental health is tough. Life can seem overwhelming. But I have found that getting help and working on myself has allowed me to feel better. I can never thank Costeen, my family and friends enough for supporting me through this process. I now plan to focus on recovering from injury and moving forward in the best way possible,” Kyrgios concluded.
