Nick Kyrgios has confirmed that he has started working with sports psychologists to help him cope with life on the tour.
The 23-year-old has confirmed that he he working with two psychologists – one based in Australia and the other overseas – to help tackle his demons. Kyrgios has won four ATP titles and peaked at a high of 13th in the world back in 2016. However, his career has been tainted by controversy with allegations of tanking during matches as well as bad behaviour. In 2016 he was briefly suspended from the tour for unsportsmanlike conduct at the Shanghai Masters.
“I was obviously struggling with a couple of things on and off the court this year, so it hasn’t been easy. But I’m starting to see some psychologists and trying to get on top of my mental health,” Kyrgios told The Sydney Morning Harald.
It is hoped that the approach will help aid Kyrgios’ performance going into 2019 after what has been a mixed season marred by injury. After winning the Brisbane International in January, Kyrgios has been unable to reach another final on the tour this season. Although he was a semi-finalist at tournaments in Stuttgart and London (Queen’s). The world No.37 ended his season in October due to a elbow problem. It is the first time he has failed to feature in the year-end top 30 since 2014.
“There were times of the year where I wasn’t in the best mental health state, so I’ve got to go out there and just be happy and enjoy myself and tennis. I think when everything lines up in my life, tennis will take care of itself.” Kyrgios explained.
“I probably left it a little too long. But I’ve been doing that and I feel more open about talking about it, I don’t feel like I’ve got to hide that sort of stuff any more.
“At the end of the day I know I’m very lucky to be able to travel around and play tennis. I’ve been dealing with a couple of things that haven’t been easy this year, but I’m sure it’ll be OK next year.”
A player prone to injuries, Kyrgios is trying to find ‘the right schedule’ to help protect his body. Besides an elbow problem, the former top 20 player has also been troubled by issues with both his hip and shoulder. This year is the second in a row where he has been forced to draw his season to an early close due to injury.
“I want to be able to find the right schedule for me, where I don’t feel mentally burnt out or physically hurting,” he said.
“I want to pick and choose the right tournaments to play, and when I’m playing in those tournaments I want to invest fully. I’m going to work with my team to get the correct schedule, I don’t think I’ve got it right the last couple of years because I haven’t made it to the end of the year once.”
Kyrgios is set to kick-off his 2019 season at the Brisbane International, where he is the defending champion. The tournament will get underway on December 30th.
