Tennis star Nick Kygrios contemplated suicide after Wimbledon loss

Nick Kyrgios wearing a long sleeve to hide self harm scars during the 2019 Wimbledon tournament. Photo / Getty

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.

LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 10: Nick Kyrgios of Australia with the the runner up trophy after loosing in the Mens Singles Final against Novak Djokovic of Serbia at The Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championship at the All England Lawn and Tennis Club at Wimbledon on July 10, 2022 in London, England. (Photo by Simon Bruty/Anychance/Getty Images)

“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.