"Andy Murray saw it, it was pretty bad" - Nick Kyrgios recalls how Brit helped him after spotting signs of self-harm

Australian tennis player Nick Kyrgios recently revealed how advice against self-harm from Britain's Andy Murray helped him get out of "dark" times.

Kyrgios has missed almost the entirety of the 2023 season due to multiple injuries. He suffered a knee injury that kept him away from the court for the first half of the season. He made a comeback at the Stuttgart Open in June only to lose to Yibing Wu in the opener.

The Australian was then slated to participate in the Halle Open and Wimbledon but an injury to his wrist denied him the chance. He recently made an appearance on the Piers Morgan Uncensored talk show and opened up on several topics, including his struggles with self-abuse in the early days of his professional career.

Kyrgios recalled getting support from Andy Murray and extended his gratitude to the latter.

“He [Murray] 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,” Nick 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 realized 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,” the Australian added.

Kyrgios said he was addicted to inflicting harm on himself. He said:

"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.”

---

Nick Kyrgios has defeated Andy Murray only once so far

Nick Kyrgios

Nick Kyrgios has faced Andy Murray seven times so far in his career and has been able to collect just one victory over the Brit.

The Australian met Murray for the first time at the 2014 Canadian Open. Murray bettered him 6-2, 6-2 without breaking a sweat. Moreover, the Brit remained unbeaten in their next four encounters.

Kyrgios registered his only success against the three-time Grand Slam champion at the 2018 Queen's Club Championships. He defeated Murray 2-6, 7-6(4), 7-5. Their seventh tie went the Brit's way at the 2022 Stuttgart Open.