clayqueen
Talk Tennis Guru
The tennis fan accused by Nick Kyrgios of having been “drunk out of her mind” at the Wimbledon final has said she is suing the Australian tennis star for defamation.
Anna Palus, a Polish lawyer, said that she had “no alternative” but to bring a High Court claim against Kyrgios, 27, who lost the final in four sets to Novak Djokovic.
During the match against Kyrgios, who is known for launching outbursts while on court, complained to the umpire that a fan had been talking to him during points.
Asked by the umpire to identify the fan, Kyrgios then said: “The one with the dress, the one who looks like she’s had about 700 drinks, bro.”
In a statement released through her lawyers today, Palus said that she had attended the final with her mother. “It was an event we had been looking forward to for some time,” she said, adding that during the match, Kyrgios “made a reckless and entirely baseless allegation against me”.
Palus continued that “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”.
Palus said that she was not normally “litigious, but after much consideration, I have concluded that I have no alternative but to instruct my solicitors . . . 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”.
She said that any damages recovered through the legal action would be donated to charity and that she hoped Kyrgios would “reflect on the harm he has caused me and my family and offer a prompt resolution to this matter”.
Palus warned that if Kyrgios was unwilling to settle the action, she was “committed to obtaining vindication in the High Court”.
The law firm representing Palus, Brett Wilson, would not comment on whether proceedings had actually been served on Kyrgios.
Representatives for Kyrgios — whose previous highest grand slam result had been reaching the quarter finals of the Australian Open in 2015 — were contacted for comment.
www.thetimes.co.uk
Anna Palus, a Polish lawyer, said that she had “no alternative” but to bring a High Court claim against Kyrgios, 27, who lost the final in four sets to Novak Djokovic.
During the match against Kyrgios, who is known for launching outbursts while on court, complained to the umpire that a fan had been talking to him during points.
Asked by the umpire to identify the fan, Kyrgios then said: “The one with the dress, the one who looks like she’s had about 700 drinks, bro.”
In a statement released through her lawyers today, Palus said that she had attended the final with her mother. “It was an event we had been looking forward to for some time,” she said, adding that during the match, Kyrgios “made a reckless and entirely baseless allegation against me”.
Palus continued that “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”.
Palus said that she was not normally “litigious, but after much consideration, I have concluded that I have no alternative but to instruct my solicitors . . . 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”.
She said that any damages recovered through the legal action would be donated to charity and that she hoped Kyrgios would “reflect on the harm he has caused me and my family and offer a prompt resolution to this matter”.
Palus warned that if Kyrgios was unwilling to settle the action, she was “committed to obtaining vindication in the High Court”.
The law firm representing Palus, Brett Wilson, would not comment on whether proceedings had actually been served on Kyrgios.
Representatives for Kyrgios — whose previous highest grand slam result had been reaching the quarter finals of the Australian Open in 2015 — were contacted for comment.
Nick Kyrgios sued by fan he accused of being drunk at Wimbledon
The tennis fan accused by Nick Kyrgios of having been “drunk out of her mind” at the Wimbledon final has said she is suing the Australian tennis star for defamation. Anna Palus, a Polish lawyer, said that she had “no alternative” but to bring a High Court claim against the 27-year-old, who lost thi
www.thetimes.co.uk
