Nick Kyrgios’s mental health revelation a sign of change in pro tennis

A cultural shift is afoot in the world of professional tennis, with tortured Aussie star Nick Kyrgios leading the way for a new generation.

Respected former Aussie tennis star Nicole Pratt says Nick Kyrgios’ confronting suicide revelations shine a light on the lonely, pressure-packed road tennis players tread.

Kyrgios revealed he’d struggled with substance abuse and had suicidal thoughts, following his 2019 Wimbledon loss to Rafael Nadal.

Pratt, as Tennis Australia’s women’s team coach, gets a daily reminder of how athletes struggle with the grind, scrutiny and expectation of the sport.

The former World No. 35 said she was pleased a cultural shift allowed athletes like Kyrgios to feel comfortable speaking publicly about mental health.

Nick Kyrgios reacts in his Men's Singles second round loss to Rafael Nadal at Wimbledon 2019. Picture: Getty Images

“I can’t relate to someone like Nick Kyrgios, of course, but I certainly have been around enough tennis players to know that yeah, it’s tough,” Pratt said.

“There’s a lot of weeks on end where it’s lonely. Every time they step out on court, there’s an immense amount of pressure and expectation to perform. You can almost see in their eyes how they’re feeling.

“In the past, players were not talking about it (mental health) and I actually think it’s really positive now that it’s accepted and it’s OK to talk about how you’re feeling, how your mental health is.”

Kyrgios opened up in a recent episode of the Netflix series Break Point, saying after he’d been self-harming and abusing drugs and alcohol he “ended up in a psych ward in London to figure out my problems”.

Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley. Picture: Getty Images

“I was genuinely contemplating suicide,” Kyrgios said.

“I lost at Wimbledon. I woke up and my dad was sitting on the bed, full-blown crying.

“That was the big wake-up call for me.

“I was like, ‘OK, I can’t keep doing this’.”

“I was drinking, abusing drugs, lost my relationship with my family, pushed all my close friends away. You could tell I was hurting.

“My whole arm was covered in scars.

“That’s why I actually got my arm sleeve. To cover it all. That pressure, having that all-eyes-on-you expectation, I couldn’t deal with it. I hated the kind of person I was.”

Aussie tennis great Nicole Pratt. Picture: Jono Searle

Tennis Australia boss Craig Tiley said he was in regular contact with Kyrgios and his team and said he had a “great deal of concern” when players reveal mental health struggles.

“It’s a tough road for all the players,” Tiley said.

“If you’re from Australia you’re probably gone for 10 months, maybe 11 months of the year.

“You’re on the road and, week in, week out, you’re competing to make a living, one-on-one battles.

“We have support here internally for players and, as a global sport, it’s something we’re spending a lot of time on.”

Pratt said Tennis Australia had a number of avenues available to support players, including a wellbeing program and psychologists, but urged it was now an important function of players’ support staff to notice changes and check in on their mental health.

KYRGIOS WANTS SHARE OF SAUDI MEGA MILLIONS

Nick Kyrgios has emphatically welcomed news of Saudi interest in tennis — and the potential monetary influx that comes with it.

Amid news the Saudi government’s Public Investment Fund, which completely changed the face of golf and has spent billions on football all over the world, was in talks with the ATP, Kyrgios, on Tuesday morning, tweeted: “FINALLY. THEY SEE THE VALUE. WE ARE GOING TO GET PAID WHAT WE DESERVE TO GET PAID. SIGN ME UP.”

FINALLY. THEY SEE THE VALUE. WE ARE GOING TO GET PAID WHAT WE DESERVE TO GET PAID. SIGN ME UP 💰💰💰💰💰💰💰💰💰💰 https://t.co/sJpj9lK6Vg

— Nicholas Kyrgios (@NickKyrgios) June 26, 2023

The brutal Saudi regime’s efforts to buy into world sport have divided opinion owing to the country’s poor record of human rights violations.

Kyrgios, who has earned more than $12 million in prizemoney in his career, was among those players criticised for taking a fat pay cheque to play in December’s Diriyah Tennis Cup in Riyadh.

ATP chairman Andrea Gaudenzi confirmed “positive” discussions had taken place with the Saudis, among other potential investors, amid talk of an imminent announcement the tour’s Next Gen Finals would be hosted in the country.

It has been expected for several months that the Next Gen Finals, an ATP season-ending event for players aged 21 and under, would move to Jeddah from Milan as part of a new five-year deal. An announcement is imminent.

Nick Kyrgios has welcomed news of Saudi interest in tennis. Picture: Getty Images

Tennis Australia boss Craig Tiley steered clear of offering a position on the ATP accepting money from the Saudi’s but he believed the complexities of tennis would help it avoid a similar LIV-style breakaway that rocked the PGA.

“I wish I could tell what’s going to happen tomorrow, but it’s a tough thing to answer,” Tiley said.

“What’s different (to golf), what we’re seeing is this is investment in the current structure of the game, not investment in an alternative option but, like everything in the world, there’s lots of changes always going on.

“Ultimately, that’ll be a decision for the men’s and the women’s tour.

“There’s seven governing bodies in tennis, it’s complicated. We work closely together in the best interest of the sport, I think they can do a lot better, those seven governing bodies, about doing a lot more work together but we’re on that track at least having those conversations where a few years ago that was not taking place.

“You’ve always got to look out for disruptions, the sport of tennis is in a healthy place right now because there is that conversation, probably not like in other sports.

“The four slams are very influential in the decision-making and, as majors, that’s an important position to keep hold of.”

Tiley, long an advocate for more prizemoney for players, agreed with Kyrgios on the pay front, revealing next year’s Australian Open would offer up a prize pool topping $100 million.

“I will always think tennis players need to be paid more,” he said.

“We’ll always hold that position to compensate the players as much as we possibly can and the more players, not just the top players, but the more players who can make a good living, the healthier it is for the sport.