Nick Kyrgios has thanked Andy Murray for helping him overcome thoughts of suicide after he spotted signs of self-harm on the Aussie, The Sun reports.
The 28-year-old tennis star bravely opened up about his mental health struggles during an upcoming episode of Piers Morgan Uncensored on TalkTV – set to air on Saturday morning AEDT.
Kyrgios detailed his problems from four years ago when he suffered with depression and substance abuse after previously revealing that he was admitted to a psychiatric ward in London after losing to Rafael Nadal at Wimbledon in 2019.
Now in the heartbreaking interview, the 2022 Wimbledon finalist has acknowledged how much of a role British legend Murray had in raising concerns over his mental state.
He revealed that Murray asked him about the abnormal physical damage on his arm during a practice session before going on to then alert his manager, John Morris.
Kyrgios said: “Andy was always a big supporter of me. As soon as I came on the tour, he kind of saw a work in progress and took me under his wing.
“Then he realised later in my career that I don’t think I was coachable or I was on my own path, but he was always someone that was looking out for me.
“He saw it [the self-harm] and he said, ‘What’s that on your arm?’ It was pretty bad at that stage.
“Andy obviously was trying to give me advice on it. But I was just so stuck in my ways at that time that I didn’t listen. Obviously I’m very thankful. I thank him a lot.”
Kyrgios continued: “I think it was all a year-and-a-half to two years of just complete harm. It was pretty dark to be honest.
“I won tournaments on the professional tour, drinking every night, self-harming, burning things on my arm, cutting myself for fun. It became an addiction of pain. I hated myself. I hated waking up and being Nick Kyrgios.”
Kyrgios has bravely battled back from his problems and he has now become an informal therapist for others who suffer from suicidal thoughts.
He added: “I feel like I’ve helped so many people after I opened up about it and put it on social media.
“I’ve almost been a beacon for people who are struggling. When they feel like they’re overwhelmed and they’re going towards drinking, drugs and stuff, they open up and they feel like I’m relatable.
“That’s been the most powerful thing in my career; people coming to me with genuine issues.
“They send me photos in my Instagram, direct messages, self-harming and genuinely wanting to commit suicide.
“I have conversations with these people. Sometimes I’ve had phone calls with these people. That’s making a real difference and I’m just really proud.”
– This article first appeared in The Sun and was republished with permission.