Aussie tennis star Nick Kyrgios has revealed he was admitted to a London psychiatric ward throughout Wimbledon in 2019, and was considering taking his personal life.
The frank revelation comes within the second batch of episodes of Netflix documentary Break Point to be launched on June 21.
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Kyrgios, who made the ultimate of Wimbledon final 12 months, was ranked forty third on this planet heading into the 2019 version of the match, the place he defeated fellow Aussie Jordan Thompson in a five-set thriller earlier than bowing out to Rafael Nadal in 4 units.
But the loss began a spiral for Kyrgios, who has been open on his psychological well being battles over time.
He mentioned 2019 was “the lowest point of my career” and he performed the match with a white sleeve on one arm to cover proof that he’d been self harming.
“I was genuinely contemplating if I wanted to commit suicide,” Kyrgios mentioned.
“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.”
Kyrgios’ father George mentioned: “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.”
Kyrgios’ long-time supervisor and good friend Daniel Horsfall mentioned he was “f**ked” and the tennis star cried whereas telling him: “Bro, I don’t know what to do. I don’t want to be here.”
Kyrgios mentioned he “hated the kind of person I was” and couldn’t cope with the expectation.
“I was drinking, abusing drugs, lost my relationship with my family, pushed all my close friends away,” he mentioned.
“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, who had the primary episode centred on him in Break Point, will function prominently in episodes six, “Belonging”, and 7, “Saints and Sinner”, which cowl the 2022 Wimbledon occasion.
Kyrgios was the runner up within the males’s draw, his deepest run at a grand slam, and finally misplaced the ultimate in 4 units to Novak Djokovic.
While he’s nonetheless ranked twenty fifth on this planet, Kyrgios has been sidelined by damage this season and was overwhelmed in straight units in his first tour-level match since October in Stuttgart.
He performed in an exhibition in Saudi Arabia in December and an exhibition in opposition to Djokovic earlier than the Australian Open, which primarily doubled as a health take a look at for his knee damage.
Kyrgios has opened up about self-harming up to now, saying that the 2020 Australian Open was additionally “one of my darkest periods”.
Kyrgios made the fourth spherical that 12 months earlier than being ousted in 4 units, once more by Nadal.
At the time, Nadal was the world’s top-ranked participant, whereas Kyrgios was seeded 23.
While the Spaniard claimed the victory, Kyrgios additionally earned nice respect from Nadal, who praised the Aussie for his efficiency.
Kyrgios’ greatest Australian Open end result was a quarterfinal in 2015, whereas he additionally made the fourth spherical in 2018.
But whereas Kyrgios was flying on the court docket, he revealed that off the court docket it was a unique story.
Taking to Instagram final February, Kyrgios pointed to marks on his arm as proof of self hurt, whereas calling for individuals who had been struggling to hunt assist.
“This was me three years ago at the Australian Open,” he started.
“Most would assume I was doing OK mentally or enjoying my life … it was one of my darkest periods.
“If you look closely, on my right arm you can see my self harm. I was having suicidal thoughts and was literally struggling to get out of bed, let alone play in front of millions. I was lonely, depressed, negative, abusing alcohol, drugs, pushed away family and friends. I felt as if I couldn’t talk or trust anyone.
“This was a result of not opening up and refusing to lean on my loved ones and simply just push myself little by little to be positive.
“I know that day to day life can seem extremely exhausting, impossible at times. I understand that you feel if you open up it may make you feel weak, or scared. I’m telling you right now, it’s OK, you are not alone. I’ve been through those times when it seemed as if those positive energetic vibes were never ever going to be reality. Please, don’t feel as if you are alone, if you feel as if you can’t talk to anyone, I’m here, reach out.
“I’m proud to say I’ve completely turned myself around and have a completely different outlook on everything, I don’t take one moment for granted. I want you to be able to reach your full potential and smile. This life is beautiful.”
In May final 12 months, he additionally opened up about dwelling within the highlight throughout an age during which trolls are emboldened to say no matter they need on social media, admitting at his lowest ebb he felt “worthless” and like he was “letting people down all the time”.
Source: www.news.com.au