Nick Kyrgios opens up about mental health struggles – ‘I ended up in a psych ward’

Nick Kyrgios has revealed that he was admitted to London psychiatric hospital after Wimbledon in 2019, saying “I was genuinely contemplating if I wanted to commit suicide”.

The Australian has never shied away from publicly talking about his struggles with mental health, but he has given a more detailed account about the 2019 incident during a new episode of the Netflix tennis documentary Break Point.

In the new series – which will be released on June 21 – the 28-year-old said he needed treatment in hospital on the back of his second-round defeat at Wimbledon just under four years ago.

In episode six, titled “Belonging”, Kyrgios 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 wore a white arm sleeve during Wimbledon 2019 to hide the self-harm wounds and further revealed how he was partying all the time and described it as “the lowest point of my career”.

“I was drinking, abusing drugs, lost my relationship with my family, pushed all my close friends away,” he said.

“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 also makes an appearance in the episode and discusses how “sensitive and fragile” is son is.

“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 took massive strides forward on and off the court over the past few years and last year he enjoyed his best season in tennis as he won the Australian Open doubles alongside his great friend Thanasi Kokkinakis.

At Wimbledon he reached his maiden Grand Slam final, finishing runner-up to Novak Djokovic.

And the “Belonging” episode also centres around not conforming to rules and how he just wants to “just everyone up”.

“I’m not gonna conform to a bunch of old rules,” he said. “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.”

READ MORE: Netflix’s tennis series Break Point: Release date for new episodes, which players feature, episode guide