2023-12-03 18:53:11
Nick Kyrgios has expressed his gratitude to Andy Murray for spotting the signs of self-destruction he suffered during a “dark” period in his life as a tennis star.
A period marked by an “addiction to pain”, he said in an interview broadcast on Friday.
“Andy has always been a great support to me,” said the former world 13th player on the TalkTV show hosted by British presenter Piers Morgan.
“As soon as I arrived on the circuit, he saw my potential and took me under his wing. Later in my career, he realized that I thought I was not ‘trainable’ or that I was isolated , but he was always there to watch over me,” explained the Australian, now 28 years old.
Kyrgios, who has only played one match in 2023, has previously opened up about the mental health issues he has suffered in recent years and revealed in a Netflix documentary that he had spent time in a hospital psychiatric after a defeat at Wimbledon in 2019.
To Piers Morgan, he told that Murray had spotted his scarifications. “He saw them and said to me: ‘What do you have on your arm?’ It was quite serious at that point. I was in the locker room and people could see my self-harm ( …) They must have said to themselves, ‘Wow, this guy is having a mental storm and he’s still trying to play.’
“Andy was obviously trying to give me advice. But I was so stuck in my ways at the time that I didn’t listen. I’m obviously very grateful to him, I thank him very much,” Kyrgios added.
“Pretty creepy”
Last year, the Australian player’s mother said Murray spotted the signs of self-harm in her son before she did.
During the interview, Kyrgios, who is no longer ranked in the ATP, spoke about the extent of the self-harm he inflicted on himself, even when he was successful on the ATP circuit.
“I spent a year and a half or two hurting myself. It was pretty scary… I won tournaments on the professional circuit by drinking every night, self-harming, burning my my arm, cutting myself for pleasure. It became an addiction to pain. I hated myself. I hated waking up and being Nick Kyrgios,” he recalled.
Since publicly revealing his mental health issues, the Australian has been contacted by people suffering from similar conditions on social media. Helping them, he said, is the “most powerful thing” he has done in his career.
“It makes a real difference and I’m really, really proud of it,” said the 2022 Wimbledon finalist.
This article was automatically published. Sources: ats / afp
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