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NICK KYRGIOS has revealed he would “down 20 to 30 drinks” the night before some of his biggest matches.
The Aussie ace has been dubbed a tennis “bad boy” for his controversial behaviour on court from sensational X-rated rants to trash-talking opponents.
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Kyrgios, who won junior Wimbledon twice and made the men’s singles final in 2022, has not played a competitive match since summer last year due to injuries.
And he has also battled mental health problems, telling The Louis Theroux Podcast he was in a bad state in 2019.
Kyrgios said: “I was just struggling with being who I was, it was hard at that time and I didn’t feel like I could take a step back from the sport and kind of work on myself and get myself in the right headspace.
“I was just playing and playing and playing and kind of dealing with everything.
“It was a dark time. I was drinking and I was spiralling out of control and I was continuing to play and travel. It was a lot.”
Asked how many drinks he would have, Kyrgios added: “20 or 30 drinks, easy, I’d drink like a fish.
“But then just wake up and play Rafa Nadal the next day. Give him a good run for his money.”
Kyrgios would do most of his drinking alone and further struggles saw him turn to self-harm.
If you are affected by any of the issues raised in this article, please call the Samaritans for free on 116123.
He explained that Andy Murray was one of the people who spotted cuts on his arms and offered him support.
The 29-year-old would then play some of the world’s best players, having come straight out a rehab facility and with a sleeve on so nobody else noticed his marks.
Kyrgios, who was once ranked at world No13, is currently without a world ranking as he has not played in over a year and has ventured into commentary and punditry.
He plans to be back on the court in the near future but does not see himself having a lengthy career like Nadal or Murray.
He said: “I could come back now and beat 50 per cent of players but I don’t want to do that because my fans deserve a better version of myself that I am now on the court.
“I don’t want to just participate and I know the world’s not going to be nice on me when I come back.
“They’re going to all of a sudden forget that I was out for a year and a half with injuries.
“They’re just going to think that it’s the Nick Kyrgios that has all the expectation again. So when he loses, it’s not okay.
“I look at how Andy Murray’s doing it, and how Rafa is going out, I don’t want to be like that either, I don’t want to be kind of crawling to the finish line in a sense.
“What Murray’s achieved in this sport is second to basically no one, unless you’re Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, or Nadal, the next person is Murray.
“It’s like you’ve achieved everything. You deserve to go out a little bit more gracefully than he has done.
“I think the surgeries, the pain, it’s just not worth it, in my opinion.”
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Help for mental health
If you, or anyone you know, needs help dealing with mental health problems, the following organisations provide support.
The following are free to contact and confidential:
Mind, www.mind.org, provide information about types of mental health problems and where to get help for them. Email info@mind.org.uk or call the infoline on 0300 123 3393 (UK landline calls are charged at local rates, and charges from mobile phones will vary).
YoungMinds run a free, confidential parents helpline on 0808 802 5544 for parents or carers worried about how a child or young person is feeling or behaving. The website has a chat option too.
Rethink Mental Illness, www.rethink.org, gives advice and information service offers practical advice on a wide range of topics such as The Mental Health Act, social care, welfare benefits, and carers rights. Use its website or call 0300 5000 927 (calls are charged at your local rate).
Heads Together, www.headstogether.org.uk, is the a mental health initiative spearheaded by The Royal Foundation of The Prince and Princess of Wales.
