14 June 2023 , 17:47
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Nick Kyrgios has revealed he was "contemplating if I wanted to commit suicide" after competing at Wimbledon four years ago.
Kyrgios, 28, was admitted to a psychiatric ward in London after suffering a second-round defeat to Rafael Nadal at SW19, calling the loss "the lowest point of my career". He revealed the incident in the new series of Netflix's tennis docuseries 'Break Point'.
The Australian superstar has since bounced back and reached the final of Wimbledon last year, losing in four sets to Novak Djokovic. Kyrgios has also confessed he was desperate to win the 2022 tournament to send a clear message to tennis' establishment.
Kyrgios' honest admission comes in the sixth episode of the new series, called 'Belonging'. He said: "I was genuinely contemplating if I wanted to commit suicide. 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."
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Kyrgios has also revealed the sleeve he wore on his right arm at Wimbledon in 2019 was to conceal evidence of self-harming. He added: "I was drinking, abusing drugs, lost my relationship with my family, pushed all my close friends away.
"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."
Kyrgios faced suicidal thoughts after losing to Rafael Nadal in 2019 (PA)Write your messages of support for Nick Kyrgios in the comments below!
Kyrgios, who is currently ranked 25th in the world, has been viewed as Australia's main hope in men's tennis for many years. On that issue, he admitted: "That pressure, having that all-eyes-on-you expectation, I couldn’t deal with it. I hated the kind of person I was."
Kyrgios' father George also appears in the new series of 'Break Point' and has given his take on his son's traumatic episode. He said. "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... I’m here for Nick. Nothing else matters. When he’s away, he’s my first priority. He’s very sensitive, very fragile"'
On his desire to win Wimbledon last year, Kyrgios said: "I'm not gonna conform to a bunch of old rules. I don’t care who you are or what you are. Because I know I’m not really accepted. I’m just hungry now. I’m channelling it.
"If I win Wimbledon, it’s like a middle finger to everyone. I’m here to show that I’m one of the best players in the world. They say, 'He can beat anybody, but he can’t really be consistent enough to push for a Grand Slam'. I just want to shut everyone up."
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