Nick Kyrgios has resolved his legal issue with a fan he claimed had “700 beers” and was “drunk out of her mind” during his Wimbledon final loss to Novak Djokovic.
Kyrgios has never been a shrinking violet and made his displeasure at a fan known when he called for a front row spectator to be kicked out of the match.
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Having had his best result at a grand slam, Kyrgios was coming in hot when he demanded the umpire eject the fan.
“She’s distracting me when I’m serving in a Wimbledon final,” he fumed at the umpire.
“There’s no other bigger occasion, you didn’t believe me and then she did it again. It nearly cost me the game.
“Why is she still here? She’s drunk out of her mind and speaking to me in the middle of a game. What’s acceptable?’
“Kick her out. I know exactly which one it is. The one in the dress, who looks like she’s had about 700 drinks bro.”
The fan, a Polish lawyer named Ania Palus was given water and was allowed back into the match after 15 minutes.
However, her next move was to threaten legal action.
But rather than go to court, it appears as though Kyrgios and Palus have come to a solution.
The Aussie star has apologised and will donate £20,000 ($A35,000) to the Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity.
“On 10 July 2022, during the Wimbledon Men’s Final, I told the umpire that a fan, who I now know to be Anna Palus, was distracting me during the match, believing that she was drunk,” he said in a statement released by Knight Temple Law, per the Daily Mail.
“I accept that belief was mistaken, and I apologise. To make amends, I have donated £20,000 to the Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity, a charity chosen by Ms Palus. I will not be commenting on this matter again.”
Immediately after the incident, Palus claimed Kyrgios’ estimate of 700 drinks was off by 698, with Palus asserting she had only consumed two drinks — a Pimms and a rose.
“I wanted to show we were there for him, I wanted to encourage him,” she told The Sun.
Palus later told The Telegraph: “I wanted to give him support. Maybe I took it too far … but I only had good intentions.
“It’s the temperature for me, I had no hat. I’m really sorry.”
But in August, she launched legal action against the Aussie tennis star.
A statement issued via her solicitor said: “On Sunday 10 July 2022 I attended the final of the Wimbledon tennis championships with my mother. It was an event we had been looking forward to for some time.
“During the course of the final, Nick Kyrgios made a reckless and entirely baseless allegation against me.
“Not only did this cause considerable harm on the day, resulting in my temporary removal from the arena, but Mr Kyrgios’s false allegation was broadcast to, and read by, millions around the world, causing me and my family very substantial damage and distress.
“I am not litigious, but after much consideration, I have concluded that I have no alternative but to instruct my solicitors Brett Wilson LLP to bring defamation proceedings against Mr Kyrgios in order to clear my name.
“The need to obtain vindication, and to prevent repetition of the allegation, are the only reasons for taking legal action.
“Any damages recovered will be donated to charity. Given the extant claim, I am unable to comment further on the events of the day in question.
“I hope that Mr Kyrgios will reflect on the harm he has caused me and my family and offer a prompt resolution to this matter.
“However, if he is unwilling to do this, I am committed to obtaining vindication in the High Court.”
Kyrgios has had the season of his career on the court.
Along with his Wimbledon final, he won the Citi Open in Washington, as well as three doubles titles — the Australian Open and Atlanta with Thanasi Kokkinakis and Washington with Jack Sock.
But he’s also had legal issues off it, including having been charged with assaulting his former girlfriend Chiara Passari in 2021.
