"I was self-harming, thinking about suicide" - Nick Kyrgios relives 'worst week of his life' and how it made him reconsider what winning meant

Nick Kyrgios recently opened up about his mental health struggles during the week he won the Acapulco Open in 2019. He said that it was the worst week of his life.

Kyrgios, known for his candid discussions about mental health, recently shared a deeply personal experience on Caroline Garcia's podcast, Tennis Insider Club. The Australian tennis star revealed that during the 2019 Acapulco Open, a tournament he ultimately won against Alexander Zverev, he was grappling with suicidal thoughts and engaging in self-harm.

He added that winning the tournament made him realise that winning was not going to fix his problems. Kyrgios explained that people might incorrectly assume he was doing well based on his success, but the reality was far different.

Here's what he said:

"Acapulco, the 500 that I won, it was the darkest week of my life. I was self-harming. I was thinking about suicide and then I won the tournament. And the media was like ‘he won the tournament. Is this the new Nick Kyrgios?’ And it was the worst I had ever been."

"And then I realized, winning is not going to fix this like I was so unhappy and that was the worst week of my life. And I knew that winning was only going to make everyone else think that I was ok, but I knew I wasn’t okay," he added.

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When Nick Kyrgios opened up about addiction to self-harming and digging himself 'out of the hole'

Nick Krygios has been vocal about his mental health struggles (Image: Getty)

In a December 2023 episode of "Piers Morgan Uncensored," Nick Kyrgios narrated his struggles with self-harm and addiction to inflicting pain. He revealed that he was heavily drinking at the time and becoming dependent on self-destructive behaviors.

"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. The more I kept doing it, it became an addiction of pain," Kyrgios said.

The Wimbledon 2022 finalist said that he hated waking up and going to tournaments. He also revealed that he had lost a sense of self-worth during this difficult period.

"I hated myself. I hated waking up and being Nick Kyrgios I hated going to places and tournaments and no one actually wanted to talk to me at face value. They just wanted me to be the Entertainer or the crazy Nick Kyrgios so I didn't feel like who I actually was was of any worth and it just got out of control but then you know I somehow dug myself out of the hole,” he added.

In recent times, the 29-year-old has been out of action due to several injuries. Currently, he is part of ESPN's commentary team for the ongoing US Open.