Nick Kyrgios says he became addicted to pain during his battle with self-harm that lasted between 18 and 24 months.

In an exclusive interview with Piers Morgan Uncensored on TalkTV, the former Wimbledon finalist spoke about his mental health issues. Kyrgios has previously spoken publically about the topic but has now revealed further details about the extent he went through and the role Andy Murray played in supporting him. He was admitted to a psychiatric ward in London and contemplated suicide following the 2019 Wimbledon Championships.

“It was pretty dark to be honest,” Kyrgios told Morgan. “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.”

One of those who tried to help the Australian address his self-harm problem was three-time Grand Slam champion Murray who noticed cuts on Kyrgios’ arms during one of their practice sessions four years ago. According to The Times, the former world No.1 then alerted Kyrgios’ manager John Morris about the cuts.

Paying tribute to the Brit, Kyrgios says Murray has supported him throughout his career. The 28-year-old has been ranked as high as 13th in the world and has won seven ATP titles. Besides his run to the Wimbledon final last year, he has also reached the quarter-final stage of a major on three other occasions.

“Andy was always a big supporter of me,” Kyrgios said. “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, who has only played one match on the Tour this season due to injury, hopes that he can help others by speaking publicly about his mental health battle. Something he describes as ‘the most powerful thing in his career.’

“I feel like I’ve helped so many people after I opened up about it and put it on social media,” Kyrgios said.
“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.”

Kyrgios recently had a stint in broadcasting after working for The Tennis channel during the ATP Finals in Milan. He is continuing his rehab from injury but it is unclear as to when he will make his return to professional tennis.

Holger Rune believes having Boris Becker in his team will help elevate his tennis to a higher level. 

The world No.4 joined forces with Becker in October with the two agreeing to continue working together in the new year. Becker is a six-time Grand Slam winner who has also previously coached Novak Djokovic. The German was brought in as a replacement for Patrick Mouratoglou who Rune stopped working with shortly after his exit from the US Open. 

Speaking to Bola Amarela, the 20-year-old says having somebody who is a former player mentor him will benefit his game. The Dane closed out his 2023 season by reaching the semi-finals in Basel, the quarter-finals of the Paris Masters and then playing at the ATP Finals. At the year-end event in Turin, he took a set of Djokovic and Jannik Sinner but lost both of those matches.

“I started working with Boris Becker and it’s something important for me, having a coach with experience of being a top player but also a top coach.” Said Rune.
“I learn a lot every time we are on the court. And I feel like I get a wise and qualified answer every time I ask a question about anything. And sharing my thoughts with someone who was young and was among the best when he was young… It means a lot when someone understands you. Not many people do that.”

Becker is the youngest man in history to have won Wimbledon. He claimed the men’s trophy in 1985 at the age of 17. 

One area of concern for Rune is related to his consistency throughout the season. After a strong start to 2023 where was runner-up at the Monte Carlo Masters and won a title in Munich, he went through a lull during the second half of this year. After Wimbledon, he failed to win back-to-back matches at six consecutive tournaments. He also went through a similar streak in 2022 when he failed to win multiple matches at nine events in a row. 

“I have a difficult times every year and this is also something that Boris Becker will help me with,” he commented.
“When is the right time to take a break, when is it time to increase or decrease training, and so on.’
“It’s difficult when things aren’t going in your favour. But I think it’s part of life, especially when you’re young. I can’t expect to know everything and do everything right.’
“I learn and I want to learn. I become stronger mentally as I go through these difficult times.”

Rune closes out 2023 with a win-loss record of 44-24 and is currently at a career ranking high.

Carlos Alcaraz says one of his key objectives for the new season is to win a medal at the Paris Olympic Games even though he is currently ineligible to play. 

As it stands, the world No.2 doesn’t meet the criteria to play at the event which will be held at Roland Garros next year. Under rules set out by the International Tennis Federation (ITF), players must be part of their country’s Davis Cup team at least twice during an Olympic cycle. Alcaraz was on the team in 2022 but didn’t play this year. He would have had the opportunity to secure qualification in February if Spain was playing in one of the World Group ties but the country has been given a wildcard directly into the finals which take place after the Olympics. 

It is expected that Alcaraz will send a letter of appeal to the ITF via his national tennis federation arguing that the wildcard handed to Spain has taken away his chance of meeting the qualifying criteria. It is expected that the two-time Grand Slam champion will experience no issues in his appeal with his mind already set on the event. 

“It is going to be a demanding year, it is a little more special having the Olympics,” El Universal quoted Alcaraz as saying during a press conference in Mexico earlier this week.
“I really want to play. Trying to bring a medal to my country is what I would like the most and we are going to work to achieve it.”

In Olympic history, Rafael Nadal is the only Spanish player to have won a gold medal in men’s singles after he won the 2008 tournament. Coincidentally, he will also need to submit an appeal to play in 2024 after missing Davis Cup ties due to injury. 

One of Alcaraz’s biggest threats in the new year will be Novak Djokovic who beat him in straight sets at the ATP Finals earlier this month. Djokovic has won three out of the four major events this year with the only exception being Wimbledon where he was beaten by Alcaraz in the final.

“We are here to prevent him and with many other players who are capable of beating him, 2024 is going to be very intense,” the Spaniard commented.
“(I dream) of being one of the best in history, in the end, it is a big dream because in this life you have to dream big,” he added. 

On Wednesday Alcaraz took part in an exhibition event held at the Plaza de Toros México which was attended by more than 20,000 people. Taking on America’s Tommy Paul, he won their match 7-6(3), 6-3. A women’s match also took place with Maria Sakkari beating Caroline Wozniacki 6-3, 6-4. 

According to the website Punto de Break, Alcaraz will now go on a vacation to the Dominican Republic for a week before undergoing a training block at the Juan Carlos Ferrero Academy in his home country. Before the start of the new season, he will play another exhibition match on December 27th against Djokovic in Ridayh, Saudi Arabia.