Canberra: When the Australian tennis player entered a guilty plea to pushing a former girlfriend to the ground two years ago, a psychologist testified in court that Nick Kyrgios had previously experienced severe depression, suicidal thoughts, and insomnia.

The Australian Capital Territory Magistrates Court heard a guilty plea from the 2022 Wimbledon runner-up for assaulting Chiara Passari in his hometown of Canberra in January 2021.

For a number of reasons, including the fact that the offence was at the low end of seriousness for a common assault and was not premeditated, Magistrate Jane Campbell did not record a conviction against Kyrgios. It was an act of "stupidity" and "frustration," according to Campbell.

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As he left the court, Kyrgios, who was using crutches after having surgery on his left knee recently, avoided speaking to reporters and instead released a statement via his management company.

"I respect today's decision and thank the court for dropping the charges without a finding of guilt, "Kyrgios remarked. "When this incident occurred, I was not in a good frame of mind, and I responded to a challenging circumstance in a way I deeply regret. I sincerely apologise for the hurt I caused. I know it wasn't appropriate.

Mental health is challenging. Sometimes life can seem too much. But I've discovered that seeking assistance and improving myself has made me feel and be better."

Sam Borenstein, Kyrgios' psychologist, testified over the phone and in a written report that Kyrgios had previously experienced major depressive episodes and had used alcohol and drugs to cope. Due to his mental health, Kyrgios exhibited impulsive and careless behaviour.

His recent knee injury had caused mild to moderate depressive symptoms, but Borenstein said his mental health was getting better. He's doing fantastic, according to Borenstein. "His mental state has significantly improved."

The application by Kyrgios' attorneys to have an assault charge from two years ago thrown out due to mental health issues was denied.

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On January 10, 2021 at 10 p.m. outside Passari's apartment in the Kingston neighbourhood of inner Canberra, Kyrgios had been attempting to flee. Passari prevented him from closing the front passenger side door as he dialled an Uber. When the door was open, the driver would not drive away.

According to the agreed facts read in court, Kyrgios ultimately pushed Passari's shoulders backward with open palms, causing her to drop to the ground and graze her knee. After her relationship with Kyrgios had ended 11 months later, Passari signed a police report alleging the assault.

In a character reference, Costeen Hatzi, his current partner, stated that she had no worries about violence in their relationship. Hatzi was one of Kyrgios' backers in the court, sitting behind him.

When the magistrate asked Kyrgios if he could stand to enter a plea, Kyrgios, who was supported by crutches and was dressed in a dark suit, made his first statement in court. Yep, no worries, Your Honor, Kyrgios retorted as he stood to enter a guilty plea.

When asked about his performance at the 2019 Australian Open, Kyrgios revealed in February of last year that what had initially seemed to be a happy time in his life had actually been "one of my darkest periods."

I was isolated, down, and negative, abusing drugs and alcohol and pushing family and friends away," he wrote on Instagram. "I felt as if I couldn't trust anyone or talk to them. This happened as a result of me keeping things inside, refusing to rely on my loved ones, and just gradually pushing myself to be optimistic.

Throughout his runs to the Wimbledon final and the U.S. Open quarterfinals last year, Kyrgios continued to allude to his mental health issues.

Last September, when Kyrgios eliminated Daniil Medvedev's attempt to defend his U.S. Open title and advanced to the quarterfinals, he took great pride in having overcome "some really difficult situations, mentally" and "some really scary places" off the court.

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Last month, the 27-year-old Kyrgios suffered a setback in his professional tennis career when he withdrew from the Australian Open due to a knee injury that ultimately required arthroscopic surgery.