Nick Kyrgios opens up about his mental health struggles
Australian tennis star Nick Kyrgios is known for his on-court antics and his anger issues, but the 23-year-old has admitted to working with psychologists to try and “get on top” of his mental health, after critics slammed the athlete for his behaviour after another whirlwind season.
Kyrgios was forced to finish the season earlier than expected as an injury to his elbow saw him withdraw from the Kremlin Cup in Moscow in October.
He was once Australia’s number one, but Kyrgios lost the title to 19-year-old Alex de Minaur in the same month as his injury, making October the roughest month to date.
As he arrived back to his hometown in Canberra, the young player revealed his struggles with mental health and how it affected the way he played throughout the season.
“I was obviously struggling with a couple of things on and off the court this year, so it hasn’t been easy,” he told the Canberra Times.
“But I’m starting to see some psychologists and trying to get on top of my mental health.
“I probably left it a little too long. But I’ve been doing that, and I feel more open about talking about it, I don’t feel like I’ve got to hide that sort of stuff anymore.”
Kyrgios, who is no doubt a talented player, has had his performance overshadowed by his fiery temperament and his childish behaviour on court.
He failed to perform at the US Open in August, after an umpire was forced to give a pep talk to the player as he came across as unmotivated.
Soon after, at the Shanghai Masters, he exited after the first round where fans were disappointed to witness his mediocre performance.
But despite the mishaps, Kyrgios is grateful for his international tennis career. He said he considers himself “very lucky” and blames his downfall on his overly packed schedule to which he says is the reason for his mental and physical burnout.
“I’m going to work with my team to get the correct schedule, I don’t think I’ve got it right the last couple of years because I haven’t made it to the end of the year once,” he said.
Kyrgios started the year off right as he obtained a fourth career title in Brisbane in January.
But it was downhill after that, as he missed out on two months of the campaign which included the French Open.
He also suffered from an injury to his hip which forced him to pull out from the ATP season last year.
If you are troubled by this article, experiencing a personal crisis or thinking about suicide, you can call the Depression Helpline at 0800 111 757 or visit depression.org.nz.