Nick Kyrgios seeks to get assault charge involving his ex-girlfriend dropped over mental health struggles

Australian tennis star Nick Kyrgios is attempting to get an assault charge involving his ex-girlfriend Chiara Passari dropped over his mental health.

Kyrgios was charged with common assault of Passari, which came to light during Wimbledon 2022 as the the 27-year-old went on to reach his first major final.

The alleged incident took place in December 2021, with the charge carrying a maximum sentence of two years in prison.

Kyrgios is currently competing at the Japan Open in Tokyo and his presence was not required at the hearing in Canberra on Tuesday.

Michael Kukulies-Smith, Kyrgios’ lawyer, confirmed that he will apply to have the charge dismissed on mental health grounds, having reviewed his client’s ‘medical history since 2015, including public disclosures of his mental health struggles’.

The bar for a case to be thrown out on these grounds is thought to be high and would need approval from the director of public prosecutions, with a hearing on the application set to take place on February 3, 2023.

Kyrgios spoke openly about his mental health at the end of May and said that he had struggled with suicidal thoughts, self-harm and alcohol troubles.

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‘[I was] probably drinking 20 to 30 drinks every night – you know, just in my room on my own – waking up [and] playing,’ Kyrgios told the Turn Up The Talk podcast.

‘Acapulco, probably one of the biggest tournaments you can play, and I was literally in my room drinking. And I’m about to play my first round and I’m just literally contemplating whether I even wanted to live at that point.’

Later in the interview, he added: ‘All my goal is now is just to guide people though that s***