The enigmatic Australian, whose on-court outbursts often make him a divisive figure among tennis fans, has always been candid about his complicated relationship with the sport.
Kyrgios has admitted he “hated” his life, but says the global lockdown in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic helped him start to get through some of those battles after it “got out of control”.
“I was abusing a lot of alcohol, drugs and it got out of control. Now, I barely drink, I literally have a glass of wine at dinner. That was the initial kind of thing that I had to clean up a little bit and then build up my relationship. with my family and adopt healthier habits like the basics, like diet, sleep well, try to train a little more and that was it.
“I think Covid helped me a lot with that.”
During his darkest moments, Kyrgios says he felt like he “let people down all the time.”
He says he sometimes believed that the people he met “didn’t really care who I was as a human being, just a tennis player…the crazy tennis player.”
He added: “I felt useless to be honest, I didn’t feel comfortable, I hated my life at one point.
“It was cutting, burning, just pretty fucked up. It was so dark I liked it too, like asking people to do it and stuff. What doesn’t kill you makes you stranger (and stronger). I’m still a little cooked.” “.
Kyrgios says he is deeply affected by the abuse he has received on social media over the years.
The Australian Open men’s doubles winner, born to a Greek father and a Malaysian mother, has revealed on several occasions how often he has to face racist abuse on social media.
“I deal with it all the time,” he explains. “People just think that pointing the finger, abusing someone or making racist comments is acceptable in this day and age, and I don’t think that’s acceptable at all. Now, you just have to use it as motivation, but it’s easier said than done.” .
“People talk bad about you and do bad things. They’re not achieving anything that you’re achieving. You just have to try to ignore it and use it as motivation and hang on to the people around you who send you positive messages.” energy all the time.
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