‘I Was Abusing Alcohol a Lot’ – Nick Kyrgios Opens Up Like Never Before About His Recent Mental Health Battle

Nick Kyrgios has been quite the entertainer whenever he steps on the court – be it for reasons good or bad. He has always played matches on his own terms and has been mostly outspoken right from start of his career. The Australian star has been quite vocal about mental health and dealing with the scrutiny that often comes from being in the spotlight so much.

Kyrgios finds it outrageous that people think that they have a take on how he should be living his life. He believes that it is an impossible situation because no one on the outside can actually understand what one is going through or how exactly one can deal with it.

Nick Kyrgios talks about cleaning up

It has been common knowledge from his various interviews and appearances that Nick Kyrgios liked to live life at the edge, given the fact that he is a professional athlete. Kyrgios also opened up about how he grounded himself and got back on track, one that he acknowledges he had fallen quite far off.

“I was abusing alcohol a lot, drugs and that spiraled out of control. Now I barely drink – I literally have a glass of wine at dinner. That was the initial kind of thing I had to clean up a little bit and then build my relationship back with my family and get into healthier habits like the basics; like diet, getting good sleep, trying to train a little bit more and that was it,” he said.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – JANUARY 09: Nick Kyrgios of Australia celebrates winning a point during his quarter final singles match against Cameron Norrie of Great Britain. Day seven of the 2020 ATP Cup at Ken Rosewall Arena on January 09, 2020 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)

“It was very serious, to the point of self-harm and it’s not okay,” he said. “I guess I pushed everyone that cared about me away and I wasn’t communicating, and I just shut down real life and I was trying to handle and tackle my problems head-on,” Kyrgios added about his struggles.

Also read: ‘They Wanted a Guy Who Was a Bit Boring’ – Nick Kyrgios Gives a Sarcastic Reply to a Spectator in Indian Wells

Kyrgios credits girlfriend Costeen Hatzi for her support

Kyrgios, in fact also opened up about what helped him get better. He credits much of his change to his performance at the Australian Open. He won the doubles title with his friend and compatriot Thanasi Kokkinakis. Another reason for Kyrgios transformation is his relationship with interior-designer girlfriend Costeen Hatzi.

 

“She doesn’t really know anything about tennis. The only two players she knows is me and Thanasi and that makes tennis quite exciting for her. If she knew 95 per cent of the tour, she’d probably blow her brains out. I’m actually at a point in my life I’d like to start settling down a bit. I’ve had a lot of fun in my life,” Kyrgios concluded.

Here is hoping that Kyrgios can maintain his momentum and good health so that his fans can enjoy more and more quality tennis from the Aussie 27-year-old.

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