Nick Kyrgios praised Andy Murray after revealing British role tennis The star starred in helping the Australian deal with his highly publicized mental health issues. The 28-year-old spoke highly of Murray during an interview with Piers Morgan in which he also made a sad revelation about his mother Norlaila.
Kyrgios’ interview with British shock Morgan surprised tennis fans, given the history of bad blood between the two men. Morgan described Kyrgios as a “monumental asshole” for abusing his own entourage during last year’s dream run to the Wimbledon final, while the Australian didn’t shy away from his feelings about the controversial media personality.
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However, the two men put their differences aside in a must-watch interview in which Kyrgios discusses a number of topics from an eventful tennis career that has rarely had a dull moment. A major topic concerned Kyrgios’ well-documented mental health issues, with the Australian crediting Murray with encouraging him to seek professional help after inquiring about the marks on Kyrgios’ arm caused by self-harm .
“Andy has always been a big supporter of me,” Kyrgios said on Sky News’ Piers Morgan Uncensored. “As soon as I got on the tour, he kind of saw a work in progress and took me under his wing. Then he realized later in my career that I didn’t think I was coachable or that I was on my own path, but he was always someone looking out for me.
“He saw it (the self-harm) and he said, ‘What’s that on your arm?’ It was pretty bad at this point. I was in the locker room and people could see my self-harm, so I could only imagine what people would think when they faced me on the tennis court. : “Wow, this guy is in a mental storm right now and he’s still trying to play.”
“Andy was obviously trying to give me advice about it. But I was so stuck in my ways at the time that I didn’t listen. Obviously, I’m very grateful. I thank him very much.”
Kyrgios admits he was in a “pretty dark” place for 18 months to two years, despite still competing and occasionally winning tournaments on the ATP Tour. “I think it was a year and a half to two years of total suffering. It was pretty dark to be honest,” he admitted.
“I won tournaments on the professional circuit, I drank every night, I harmed myself, I burned my arm, I cut myself for fun. It became an addiction to pain. I hated myself .I hated waking up and being Nick Kyrgios.”
The Australian has spoken publicly about his mental health struggles in hopes of helping others dealing with similar issues. Kyrgios says he is “really proud” to have shared his own problems so openly and to have been able to help others dealing with similar difficulties.
“It’s been the most powerful thing in my career: people coming to me with real problems,” he added. “They send me pictures on my Instagram, direct messages, they are self-harming and genuinely want to kill themselves. I have conversations with these people. Sometimes I have had phone calls with these people. It’s been a real difference and I’m just really proud.”
Nick Kyrgios in a sad revelation about his mother
Kyrgios also spoke about his ailing mother Norlaila’s long health battle and revealed that she never attends his matches because she has a pacemaker and it’s too stressful to watch. The 28-year-old also painfully admitted that he would like his mother to come and watch him play at least one more time.
“She has a pacemaker now – so I don’t think she’ll be able to attend any of my matches, especially the Australian Open or Wimbledon, with the ups and downs, the craziness that happens,” did he declare. “It’s just too risky. So she watches from home, my whole team comes to see me live, she stays at the accommodation and watches on TV.
“I know she watches me all the time. I stressed this woman out so much – and I’m sorry! She’s really proud of my work and how much I’ve grown. I wish she could look at me one last time. It would be a dream. It would be really special if she could hold on for a few more years.
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