Australian tennis star Nick Kyrgios has revealed he attended a “psych ward” after the 2019 Wimbledon match as he battled alcohol and drug abuse.
Warning: This story accommodates themes of self-harm and suicide. In the event you need assistance, name Lifeline on 13 11 14.
Key factors:
- Nick Kyrgios mentioned his arm was lined in self-harm scars round the 2019 tennis season
- He mentioned that after his loss to Rafael Nadal, he went to a London hospital for psychological well being care
- The Australian is getting back from a long-term knee damage, and has performed his first match this week
Talking on the Netflix documentary Break Level, the world quantity 25 mentioned he had been considering suicide earlier than attending a hospital in London to “work out my issues”.
“I used to be genuinely considering suicide,” Kyrgios mentioned.
“I misplaced at Wimbledon [to Rafael Nadal]. I awoke and my dad was sitting on the mattress, full-blown crying. That was the large wake-up name for me. I used to be like, ‘OK, I can not hold doing this.'”
Kyrgios mentioned his arm was lined in scars throughout that interval in his life.
Throughout Wimbledon, he wore an extended white sleeve in the course of the singles match and a sweatband throughout doubles. His arm was then regularly lined with a full sleeve tattoo over the subsequent 12 months.
“I ended up in a psych ward in London to determine my issues,” he mentioned.
“I used to be ingesting, abusing medicine, misplaced my relationship with my household, pushed all my shut associates away. You could possibly inform I used to be hurting.
“My entire arm was lined in scars. That is why I really received my arm sleeve. To cowl all of it. That strain, having that all-eyes-on-you expectation, I could not cope with it. I hated the form of individual I used to be.”
In February final 12 months Kyrgios posted on Instagram about his psychological well being, declaring self-harm marks on his arm in a photograph from the Australian Open.
He mentioned he was “proud to say I’ve fully turned myself round” and he doesn’t “take one second without any consideration”.
Kyrgios returned to tennis motion this week after seven months out with a knee damage, and was overwhelmed 7-5, 6-3 by China’s Yibing Wu within the first spherical in Stuttgart, with the match lasting 68 minutes.
Whereas his serve was firing properly, regardless of 4 double-faults, Kyrgios appeared reluctant to chase balls across the courtroom and by the top was visibly troubled by his knee.
Through the changeover after the third recreation of the second set Kyrgios may very well be overheard saying to his workforce, “I really feel my knee each level. I can not stroll with out ache,” earlier than placing his head in his fingers.
“Be affected person with me my followers please,” Kyrgios tweeted after Tuesday’s match.
“It is a course of to get again to the place I used to be. I do know it is onerous so that you can see me carry out like in the present day, however I would like extra time and hopefully can get again to the place I used to be.”
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