Tennis star contemplated suicide after Wimbledon loss

Warning: This article discusses suicide, self-harm, and other mental health problems. If you need help, contact Lifeline on 0800 543 354 or text 4357 (HELP).

Australian tennis star Nick Kyrgios has revealed he “genuinely contemplated” suicide and also spent time in a psychiatric hospital in London following the Wimbledon event in 2019

Kyrgios has opened up about his mental health battles in the latest series of the Netflix documentary Break Point which is released later this month.

The 28-year-old also revealed he wore a white sleeve in his second-round defeat to Rafael Nadal in 2019 to hide evidence of self-harm.

“I was drinking, abusing drugs, I hated the kind of person I was,” he said in the upcoming Break Point episode, which covers his run to the 2022 Wimbledon final.

“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.”

“I was genuinely contemplating if I wanted to commit suicide,” Kyrgios added.

“That pressure, having that ‘all eyes on you’ expectation, I couldn’t deal with it. I hated the kind of person I was.

“I lost my relationship with my family, pushed all my close friends away.

“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 has just begun his comeback following knee surgery in January.

He lost the first match of his return in the opening round of the Stuttgart Open on Tuesday.

Kyrgios, a two-time semifinalist in Stuttgart, was playing for the first time since October in Tokyo.

SUICIDE AND DEPRESSION

Where to get help:
• Lifeline: Call 0800 543 354 or text 4357 (HELP) (available 24/7)
• Suicide Crisis Helpline: Call 0508 828 865 (0508 TAUTOKO) (available 24/7)
• Youth services: (06) 3555 906
• Youthline: Call 0800 376 633 or text 234
• What's Up: Call 0800 942 8787 (11am to 11pm) or webchat (11am to 10.30pm)
• Depression helpline: Call 0800 111 757 or text 4202 (available 24/7)
• Helpline: Need to talk? Call or text 1737
If it is an emergency and you feel like you or someone else is at risk, call 111

This article was first published on nzherald.co.nz and is republished here with permission