Nick Kyrgios reveals suicidal thoughts in Netflix documentary 'Break Point'

Nick Kyrgios, the Australian tennis star, has revealed in interviews for the upcoming Netflix documentary series "Break Point" that he experienced suicidal thoughts after a loss at Wimbledon in 2019

According to recent interviews for the upcoming Netflix documentary series "Break Point," Australian tennis star, Nick Kyrgios shared that he experienced suicidal thoughts after a loss at Wimbledon in 2019, which led him to spend time in a psychiatric ward. 

These revelations about Kyrgios' mental health struggles have gained significant coverage in Australia.

Following his defeat against Rafael Nadal at Wimbledon four years ago, Kyrgios sought help by visiting a hospital in London to address his issues. During his singles matches, he wore a compression sleeve on his right arm to conceal his scars.

“I was genuinely contemplating suicide,” Kyrgios said, in comments published by the Australian Broadcasting Corp. “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 said he was “drinking, abusing drugs” and his relationships with family and friends were deteriorating.

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

After his loss to Novak Djokovic in the 2022 Wimbledon final, he opened up about his mental health challenges on social media and in various interviews, Kyrgios has been absent from the tennis scene for several months due to injuries. However, he recently made his comeback at the Stuttgart tournament, marking his return to the elite tour after a seven-month break.

Unfortunately, he faced a first-round defeat. Additionally, in February, he expressed remorse in an Australian court for a charge of common assault. He pleaded guilty to pushing his former girlfriend to the ground in 2021 and managed to avoid conviction.

In a written report and during testimony, Kyrgios' psychologist, Sam Borenstein, stated that Kyrgios had experienced significant depressive episodes during the period surrounding the assault. It was revealed that he had turned to alcohol and drugs as a way to manage his mental health challenges. As a result of his mental state, Kyrgios engaged in impulsive and reckless behaviour.

The judge decided not to formally convict Kyrgios for several reasons, including the fact that the offence was considered relatively minor in terms of a common assault, it was not premeditated, and Kyrgios had no prior criminal record.

Immediately after the court ruling, Kyrgios issued a statement through a management company saying: “I was not in a good place when this took place and I reacted to a difficult situation in a way I deeply regret. I know it wasn’t OK and I’m sincerely sorry for the hurt I caused.”

“Mental health is tough. Life can seem overwhelming,” he added in the statement. “But I’ve found that getting help and working on myself has helped me to feel better and to be better.”