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'So hateful': Nick Kyrgios' sobering admission on 'awful' abuse

Nick Kyrgios (pictured) during a press conference at Wimbledon.
Nick Kyrgios (pictured) opened up about the social media abuse he has copped during his time as a professional athlete. (Image: Wimbledon)

Aussie superstar Nick Kyrgios has revealed his battle with social media trolls during his time as a professional tennis star.

Kyrgios cut a happy figure during his mixed double's match with tennis icon Venus Williams.

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The pair laughed their way through a dramatic 6-3, 3-6, 7-5 victory over equally cheery US duo Austin Krajicek and Sabrina Santamaria.

While Kyrgios appears to be enjoying his first major tournament back on the ATP Tour, the Aussie has also opened up on his online critics.

The 26-year-old took aim at the trolls on social media, but said he has matured over the years due to the hard learning curve being in the public spotlight provides.

“People are just idiots, really, on social media,” Kyrgios told reporters.

“Everyone seems to think they have some sort of voice on social media and it’s bad because it can affect people’s mental health.

“I’m a player that deals with it every single day. Now that I don’t care about it, I still see it and it’s not so easy to block out.

"It’s taken me years and years of resilience and maturity to now not really care about it so much. But it affects people."

Nick Kyrgios reveals social media abuse

Kyrgios admitted there was a time when the comments really affected him and his view of tennis.

“It got really bad for me to the point where I didn’t want to play tournaments. I didn’t want to go out there and play because I knew all I was receiving were negative comments that were hurtful," he said.

"Whether it was racism comments, racial slurs, just little things or anything that would destroy my confidence.

“With the way social media’s going it’s always going to be there.

“You have people that have nothing going on in their life and are so hateful. They have such a s**t life that they just have to find things to beat down other people. It’s awful, it’s really tough.”

Kyrgios recently pointed out he was happy with his career and just enjoying tennis.

While many have always willed for Kyrgios to use his natural talent and win a Grand Slam, Kyrgios is happy to have taken a different path to that of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.

"I just feel like I don't put as much pressure on myself anymore. When I was younger, it was hard to deal with all the criticism that the media gave me, that everyone gave me," he said the other day.

"Like, it beat me down to a point of very bad depression. I wasn't even enjoying myself. Like, I wasn't even coming to Wimbledon and enjoying myself. I was not embracing this amazing event. I wasn't embracing having another day.

"Now I just enjoy it when I'm out there. I breathe in the fresh air. Like, I don't take anything for granted."

This could be seen with his playful, yet serious, approach to his mixed double's campaign with Williams.

However, Kyrgios is still alive in the single's draw after a remarkable First Round win over Ugo Humbert and Second round win over dangerous challenger Italian Gianluca Mager.

Readers seeking support and information can contact Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636 or Lifeline on 13 11 14.

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