According to Australian media on Tuesday, tennis star Nick Kyrgios will attempt to have an assault case against him dropped due to mental health issues.
At a hearing in the Australian Capital Territory magistrates’ court, where he is accused of common assault, Kyrgios’ attorney appeared on his behalf.
The 27-year-old Australian player is in Tokyo for the Japan Open and was not compelled to appear for the mostly administrative hearing.
According to media outlets such as the ABC and the Sydney Morning Herald, his lawyer, Michael Kukulies-Smith, requested an adjournment to allow for a mental health assessment.
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According to the report, Kukulies-Smith stated that his client’s mental health difficulties were well known and that he would seek to have the charge dismissed at a later date.
The Wimbledon finalist acknowledged that he fights with depression and wrote in an Instagram post earlier this year about his previous mental health issues.
“I felt like I couldn’t talk or trust anyone,” he wrote with a 2019 photo of himself.
“I’ve been through situations when it looked like those wonderful, energizing sentiments would never become a reality.”
‘Do my job’
Since losing in the US Open quarterfinals last month, the world number 20 is competing in his first competition.
Earlier on Monday, he claimed to have been working on the case “for months” and to be taking things “day by day.”
One of the most divisive tennis players, Nick Kyrgios, told reporters in Tokyo: “There’s only so much I can control. I’m taking all the steps and dealing with things off the court.”
“I’m in Tokyo right now and I’m just trying to play some good tennis, keep up the momentum, and just try to do my job, which is to play tennis and play it well. I can only do what I can. That’s all.”
The 87th-ranked Taiwanese player, Tseng Chun-hsin, is his opponent in the first round, and he is the overwhelming favorite to win.
At Wimbledon in 2014, Kyrgios made a name for himself by defeating Rafael Nadal en route to the quarterfinals.
Despite his subsequent struggles to live up to his early potential, Kyrgios has produced a string of impressive results in recent competitions.
Prior to losing to Novak Djokovic in the Wimbledon final in July 2022, he and Thanasi Kokkinakis won the men’s doubles title at the Australian Open in January 2022.