After reaching his first Wimbledon quarter-final in eight years, Nick Kyrgios spoke openly about what has been a roller-coaster career.
A former top 20 player, Kyrgios has been caught up in various controversies. At this year’s grass-court major, he has already been fined $14,000 for unsportsmanlike conduct and has been accused of being a bully by rival Stefanos Tsitsipas. The two engaged in a tense third round encounter on Saturday.
Although with the exception of an injury scare, there was no drama during Kyrgios’ latest five-set win over Brandon Nakashima. As for the shoulder issue, he played down its significance shortly after.
“At this time in the event, I don’t think anyone is feeling 100%. Obviously Rafa, you see him dealing with something niggling all the time. I just don’t think there’s anyone feeling 100%.” He said.
“Mentally I feel like I just deal with these things a lot better now.”
Whilst he remains a divisive character on the Tour, Kyrgios knows better than anybody about how far he has come along compared to the past. At his lowest, he was handed a provisional suspension from the ATP Tour for unsportsmanlike conduct.
Although there is another side to the issues with the tennis star previously speaking out about his own mental health battle. His love for the sport has gone up and down over time as he cites one example of his own ‘dark times’ dating back to the 2019 Wimbledon Championships.
“There was a time where I was having to be forced out of a pub at 4 a.m. to play Nadal in the second round,” he reflected. “My agent had to come get me out of a pub at 4 a.m. before I played my match on Center Court Wimbledon. I’ve come a long way, that’s for sure.”
Kyrgios lost to Nadal in four sets with the lost two being close tiebreakers.
So how has he managed to turn it all around? Kyrgios believes it would not have been possible if it wasn’t for the support of his own team.
“I’ve got an incredible support crew. My physio is one of my best friends. My best friend is my agent. I’ve got the best girlfriend in the world. I’ve just got so many people around me, they just support me. I feel like I can reflect on all those dark times when I pushed them all away.” He said.
“Now to sit here in the quarterfinals of Wimbledon, feeling good, feeling composed, feeling mature, having that around me, I’m extremely blessed. I feel like I’m just comfortable in my own skin.”
Kyrgios now has a chance to reach the semi-finals of a major for the first time in his career at the age of 27. Awaiting him in the next round will be Chile’s Cristian Garin.
