Nick Kyrgios' candid reveal behind outfit detail at Wimbledon
Nick Kyrgios has embraced discussions about his mental health in upcoming episodes of the Netflix series Break Point.
CONTENT WARNING: This article discusses self-harm and mental health.
Nick Kyrgios has made a brave admission about the true extent of the mental health crisis he faced back in 2019, following his loss to Rafael Nadal at Wimbledon that year. The 28-year-old opened up about his mental state in the latest episodes of the Netflix series Break Point, which has new episodes coming out later in June.
The 2019 season was a tumultuous one for Kyrgios, who in the past has spoken frankly about his experiences, revealing that in the wake of his loss to Nadal at Wimbledon that he ended up in a psychiatric ward in London. He described being at 'the lowest point of my career' at Wimbledon that year, with his strong ranking at the time not reflecting how he truly felt about his career.
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“I was genuinely contemplating if I wanted to commit suicide,” Kyrgios said. “I lost at Wimbledon. I woke up and my dad was sitting on the bed, full-blown crying.
"That was the big wake-up call for me. I was like, OK, I can’t keep doing this. I ended up in a psych ward in London to figure out my problems.”
While he hasn't lost any of his fiery nature on and off the court since, the Aussie has noticeably changed how he approaches grand slams in particular, opting to forego tournament he simply doesn't enjoy playing at, such as the French Open. His 2023 season as been disrupted by a knee injury and subsequent surgery, only making his return to the court last week as he looks towards Wimbledon this year.
Kyrgios' father George, who was with him at Wimbledon in 2019, also spoke in the Break Point episode about the saga. “I told him, ‘This is not the right path, mate. You’ve got bigger and better things to chase, you know.’ He was in tears," he said.
“I’m here for Nick. Nothing else matters. When he’s away, he’s my first priority. He’s very sensitive, very fragile.”
Nick Kyrgios' brutal honesty about mental health struggles
Kyrgios was sporting a sleeve over his right arm at Wimbledon in 2019, admitting in the docu-series that it was to hide evidence of self-harm. He also discussed the matter earlier this year in Instagram, saying that at the 2020 Australian Open he still had visible scars on his arm.
“I was drinking, abusing drugs, lost my relationship with my family, pushed all my close friends away,” he said on Break Point. “You could tell I was hurting. My whole arm was covered in scars. That’s why I actually got my arm sleeve. To cover it all.”
Unfortunately, his long-awaited return at the Stuttgart Open didn't go as planned as the Aussie went down in straight sets to Yibing Wu 7-5, 6-3. Wu had never played in a grass court tournament on the main tour, but held his nerves to defeat the Aussie.
Kyrgios appeared to be serving well, but was hampered in his movement from the baseline. He seemed reluctant to chase down points and admitted during a change of ends that his knee was causing him pain.
"I feel my knee every point. I can't walk without pain," Kyrgios said, before dropping his head into his hands in frustration. Following the match, Kyrgios pleaded with fans to give him time as he works his way back to fitness.
"Be patient with me my fans please," Kyrgios tweeted. "It's a process to get back to where I was. I know it's hard for you to see me perform like today, but I need more time and hopefully can get back to where I was."
Yibing was no easy draw for Kyrgios with the World No.64 fighting for every point in the scrap. Tennis fans were quick to rally around Kyrgios after the Australian did his best after more than six months away from a competitive match.
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