Nick Kyrgios reveals the pressure of being labelled a bad boy has led to ‘dark periods’ in his life where he has ‘struggled mentally’ and considered quitting tennis
Nick Kyrgios has long been called a ‘bad boy’ on and off the court.
And the tennis champion says the criticism has led to ‘dark’ periods in his life during which he considering quitting the sport altogether.
‘Every year for the past five years, I’ve woken up to comments like, “You’re a wasted talent,” “You’re the most talented player to never win a slam”,’ the 26-year-old tells Stellar Magazine.
Dark past: Nick Kyrgios says criticism has led to ‘dark’ periods in his life during which he considering quitting tennis altogether. Nick appears in the new issue of Stellar Magazine alongside fellow tennis player Thanasi Kokkinakis (right)
‘I’ve gone through periods in my life when I’ve really struggled mentally and I was in some dark places with dark thoughts.’
Nick added that there were times where he told himself, ‘I don’t want to do this anymore.’
The athlete says he felt vindicated after he won the men’s doubles final alongside Thanasi Kokkinakis, against fellow Aussies Matthew Ebden and Max Purcell, at the Australian Open this month.
‘I’ve gone through periods in my life when I’ve really struggled mentally and I was in some dark places with dark thoughts’ he said. Nick added that there were times where he told himself, ‘I don’t want to do this anymore’
‘I don’t want to deal with the media. Everyone is expecting me to be this person and I just don’t want to be. But here we are: grand slam champions,’ he said.
Nick recently insisted that he is worldly, grown up a lot – and his ‘haters’ are just uneducated.
‘Immature? I don’t think so,’ he told The Daily Telegraph recently.
‘I’ve seen more in my lifetime than probably 95 per cent of Australians. I’ve seen many parts of the world, different cultures, met millions of people, seen absolute poverty, tried to help out, and I continue to do so.’
‘Every year for the past five years, I’ve woken up to comments like, ‘You’re a wasted talent,’ ‘You’re the most talented player to never win a slam’,’ the 26-year-old says
Winner: The athlete says he felt vindicated after he won the men’s doubles final alongside Thanasi Kokkinakis, against fellow Aussies Matthew Ebden and Max Purcell, at the Australian Open this month (pictured)
‘Immature is a word that gets thrown around by the uneducated,’ he added.
Nick also argued that he isn’t ‘spoilt’ and has grown up a lot since his ‘hothead’ days.
‘I can admit I’ve been a hothead over the last couple of years,’ he confessed.
‘I wouldn’t say so much any more, but definitely towards the early stage of my career. I wore my emotions on my sleeve, and wasn’t afraid to show them. I know what I stand for, my morals, and what I’m trying to achieve’.
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Read more: In this week’s issue of Stellar Magazine
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