Nick Kyrgios has thanked Andy Murray for his help and support when he noticed that the Australian was self-harming.
Murray questioned Kyrgios following a practice session in which he noticed signs of self-harm and reportedly notified the Australian’s then manager, John Morris.
Speaking in a wide-ranging interview on Piers Morgan Uncensored on TalkTV, 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.
“I think it was a year-and-a-half to two years of just complete harm. It was pretty dark to be honest. I hated myself, I hated waking up and being Nick Kyrgios.”
Kyrgios has been more open in recent times about his mental health struggles and self-harm. And he told Morgan that he was relishing the number of people he had been able to help by being so open.
“I feel like I’ve helped so many people after I opened up about it and put it on social media,” he said. “I’ve almost been a beacon for people who are struggling.
In the interview, Nick Kyrgios also discussed the racism that his parents experienced in Australia after emigrating from Malaysia and Greece.
He mentioned that it was not only schoolyard bullying, but also some prominent figures in the sporting world who racially abused his family. Kyrgios admitted that his family has had to deal with racism, but he believes that it has made him stronger and that he has developed thick skin as a result. He expressed his hope that one day racism will no longer be a topic of discussion. Kyrgios also mentioned swimming legend Dawn Fraser, who made derogatory remarks about him and Bernard Tomic in 2015. Kyrgios called Fraser a "blatant racist" in response to her comments. He emphasized that he has a diverse group of friends and believes that it is a silly topic because, ultimately, we are all human beings capable of achieving incredible things together.
