Tennis star Nick Kyrgios has expressed his gratitude towards fellow player Andy Murray for his support during a difficult period in his life. Kyrgios revealed that Murray noticed signs of self-harm on his body and offered help.
The 28-year-old has been open about his mental health struggles, including battling depression and suicidal thoughts. In June, he spoke about his experiences in the Netflix documentary "Break Point," detailing a period after losing at Wimbledon in 2019 where he sought treatment at a psychiatric hospital.
"Andy was always a big supporter of me," Kyrgios said in an interview with Piers Morgan Uncensored on TalkTV.
"As soon as I came on the tour, he kind of saw a work in progress and took me under his wing”, he continued.
"Then he realised later in my career that I don't think I was coachable or I was on my own path, but he was always someone that was looking out for me.
"He saw it (the self-harm), and he said, 'What's that on your arm?' It was pretty bad at that stage. Andy obviously was trying to give me advice on it. But I was just so stuck in my ways at that time that I didn't listen.
"Obviously I'm very thankful. I thank him a lot."
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In February 2022, Kyrgios shared a detailed Instagram post about his mental health struggles, revealing that he had experienced "suicidal thoughts" and found it challenging to get out of bed in 2019. He pointed out self-harm marks on his arm in a photo taken during the Australian Open.
However, he concluded the post on a positive note, saying that he was currently in a much better place. Despite reaching the Wimbledon final in 2022 and losing to Novak Djokovic, Kyrgios now sees the most impactful dimension of his career as his capacity to aid individuals with their mental health concerns.
"I've almost been a beacon for people who are struggling," he added.
"When they feel like they're overwhelmed and they're going towards drinking, drugs and stuff, they open up and they feel like I'm relatable.”
"That's been the most powerful thing in my career, people coming to me with genuine issues”, the Aussie player concluded.
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