Kyrgios Cites Mental Health as Grounds to Dismiss Assault Charge, per Report

Tennis star Nick Kyrgios was set to appear in Australian court on Tuesday on a single count of common assault charge after his former girlfriend said that Kyrgios assaulted her in December 2021.

Now the tennis “bad boy” is reportedly trying to dismiss the case on mental health grounds, per various media outlets.

As the 27-year-old is currently competing in Tokyo at the Japan Open, his lawyer Michael Kukulies-Smith appeared in court in Canberra on Tuesday to request another adjournment. Kyrgios’s team wants more time to “prepare forensic mental health reports” on the tennis star, per the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

The court granted the adjournment request after Kukulies-Smith explained how the Australian tennis star’s mental health issues are well known. Kyrgios’s court date has been moved to Feb. 3, 2023.

Back in February of this year, Kyrgios wrote a lengthy Instagram post opening up about his struggles with his mental health, specifically back in 2019. He said he’d been suicidal, attempted self harm and abused alcohol and drugs during the ‘19 season.

Kyrgios has not publicly spoken about the assault charges, even when he was asked about the case shortly after the charges became public in July.