Nick Kyrgios has had a wonderful start to the year, winning the Australian Open in men’s doubles, and has continued his good form throughout the season. The tennis fraternity knows the Australian player to be vocal and aggressive on the court. However, the player has had his own struggles to get through before rising into the world of tennis.

In a recent podcast, he talked about his addiction to alcohol and drugs and the efforts he made to give it all up. The player also talked about the role of his family played in helping him get out of that phase of his life.

Nick Kyrgios opens up about his battles against addiction

Kyrgios talked about his phase of addiction and the reason behind indulging in such harmful habits. He said, “The reason I started drinking and doing all the drugs was because I was just so miserable. I would train and play at such a high level. It was always an outlet for the pressure at times..”

However, he talked about still dealing with people’s expectation when he’s on the court. He talked about the past and said, “I wasn’t able to trust anyone. I fell out of my family. I pushed all my good friends away. It just kind of took my mind off it and literally, I was just killing myself.”

The role played by his parents

Furthermore, the player talked about the incident that made him get out of that phase, He said, “I came back home from a night out and my dad was just next to me and crying and saying, “look you gotta stop all this”. That’s when it kinda clicked.”

The player has now overcome such a difficult phase of his life and has been leading a healthy lifestyle. He talked about appreciating everything in his life.

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He said, “I just take nothing for granted anymore. My mom is just incredibly sick at the moment…. I have been with her when things go south.”

Kyrgios’ run in 2022

The Australian player defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas in a third round match that was peppered with controversial incidents.

Now, after beating Brandon Nakashima of the United States in the fourth round, he is set to face the Chilean star, Christian Garin in the quarter-finals.

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Other than his unexpected victory at the Australian Open, the player has failed to win any titles this year.

Do you think Kyrgios can overcome the top seeds and secure the Gentlemen’s Singles Trophy? Let us know in the comments.