Nick Kyrgios reveals he was 'contemplating if I wanted to commit suicide' after Wimbledon exit in 2019
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Updated 14/06/2023 at 17:35 GMT
Australian tennis player Nick Kyrgios has revealed in a forthcoming Netflix documentary that after his second-round exit at Wimbledon in 2019 he contemplated suicide and attented a psychiatric hospital in London. He also said that he wore an arm sleeve in order to cover up signs of self-harm, and said that he views success as a way to silence his critics.
'We lost Federer, Djokovic important for tennis' - Kyrgios pays tribute to opponent
Nick Kyrgios has revealed that he was "genuinely contemplating if I wanted to commit suicide" at a London psychiatric hospital after losing at Wimbledon in 2019.
Kyrgios has often discussed various aspects of his mental health - previously saying he has had "dark periods" - and he has added more detail in an interview during the second part of Netflix's tennis documentary Break Point.
The 28-year-old explained that he needed treatment after losing in the second round of Wimbledon to Rafael Nadal.
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.”
Kyrgios sported a white arm sleeve throughout the tournament, which he says was to cover up his self-harm scars.
“I was drinking, abusing drugs, lost my relationship with my family, pushed all my close friends away,” he continued.
“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’ father George told the programme: “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 won the Australian Open doubles last year with Thanasi Kokkinakis, and also reached the final of Wimbledon - his first Grand Slam final appearance - where he lost to Novak Djokovic.
He also says in the Netflix documentary that he wants to "shut everyone up".
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“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.”
It was his first match of the season following injury.
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