Hong Kong
CNN
 — 

Australian tennis star Nick Kyrgios has avoided a criminal conviction despite pleading guilty to assaulting his former girlfriend, CNN affiliate Nine News reported on Friday.

Appearing at Canberra Magistrates Court, the 27-year-old tennis player admitted to shoving his ex-girlfriend, Chiara Passari, after an argument outside her apartment on January 10, 2021, Nine News reported.

Kyrgios wanted the assault charge to be removed under mental health grounds but that was rejected by the court.

Instead, Magistrate Beth Campbell heard his guilty plea then dismissed the charge, accepting the seriousness of the matter was “low level,” meaning a conviction was not recorded.

In an Instagram story, Kyrgios apologized for the hurt he had caused and said he was focused on recovering from a recent knee injury that forced him to pull out from the Australian Open last month.

“I respect today’s ruling and am grateful to the court for dismissing the charges without conviction. I was not in a good place when this took place and I reacted to a difficult situation in a way I deeply regret,” he said.

“Mental health is tough. Life can seem overwhelming. But I’ve found that getting help and working on myself has helped me to feel better and to be better,” he added.

Kyrgios, who is ranked 20th in the world, was the runner-up at Wimbledon in men’s singles last year and won the men’s doubles title at the 2022 Australian Open with partner Thanasi Kokkinakis.