Nick Kyrgios opens up on drugs, alcohol, weight loss and Wimbledon

Nick Kyrgios has admitted playing while hungover as he opens up about the drug and alcohol struggles that nearly cost him his career.

At his lowest point Nick Kyrgios was drinking up to six days a week and turning up to play – and sometimes win – tournaments hungover.

In a wide-ranging interview on social media bad boy Logan Paul’s ‘Impaulsive’ podcast, the Aussie tennis star revealed the extent of his drug and alcohol troubles and how they nearly cost him his career and family.

Kyrgios pleaded guilty earlier this month to assaulting his ex-girlfriend Chiara Passari in 2021, though the charges were dismissed by a judge.

When Kyrgios fronted court in Canberra he initially attempted to have the assault charge thrown out on mental health grounds and later took to Instagram claiming he was “not in a good place when this happened”.

Speaking to Paul and his co-hosts, Kyrgios opened up on his struggles.

“It was pretty much every day. About three, four years ago I reckon I was drinking five, six times a week and still competing at the highest level, which was really unhealthy,” Kyrgios revealed.

“I would wake up and just be like, ‘I’ve gotta play Nadal in a couple of hours’ … it’s just not sustainable.

“I don’t know, I won a tournament doing it. And then it’s funny because then the media was like, ‘Has Kyrgios turned a corner’, and it was like the worst I had ever been.”

Nick Kyrgios leaves court in Canberra. Picture: Saeed Khan / AFP

The world No.19, who is recovering from knee surgery that ruled out him out of the Australian Open, revealed why he has kept his corner so close and the reason he chooses not to work with a coach – because it was his friends and family that brought him back from the brink.

“There was some people that kept believing in me, like family and friends. I know it’s cliche to say, but you have to keep those people around for sure, because I pushed those people away when I was really struggling with the drugs and alcohol and stuff,” he said.

“I didn’t stay in contract with them even when they were trying to reach out. I got back in touch with them and that really helped.”

In an hour-long interview covering everything from Pokemon to whether the moon landing was faked, Kyrgios spoke openly about his battles with weight as a young tennis prodigy.

“It was hard because all my coaches and some teachers from school said I wasn’t going to make it because of my weight,” he said.

Nick Kyrgios has opened up about his drug and alcohol use. Picture: William West / AFP

“They all said to me I needed to lose weight but I was winning on court so I was like, ‘It doesn’t really matter, it’s not translating’ – but I did need to lose weight.

“It was hard dealing with that, with those insecurities. (I) still deal with it now a little bit.

“The best is when I see, say, some overweight kids now that are a bit afraid to be active just because of the way they look. I love going up to them and saying, ‘Look, here’s a photo of me’.

“That’s powerful, and I think that’s one of the coolest things that comes from my career is that.

“Look at me (as a kid). That person was not supposed to beat Djokovic and Nadal and stuff.

“I was still a bit chubby at 17 and it was the coaches and stuff telling me, ‘You’re out of shape’ or ‘You’re eating too much’ (but) I wasn’t trying to be a professional, I was just playing and I was good at it.”

‘MOST UNPROFESSIONAL TENNIS PLAYER’

Kyrgios recounted many of the controversies in his tennis career, including his record-setting number of fines on the ATP Tour and his penchant for breaking racquets: “A couple thousand racquets, I think”.

The 27-year-old labelled himself the “most unprofessional tennis player” though felt he turned a corner last year, punctuated by his Wimbledon final appearance.

“I went through a phase where I hated it and then I realised how many people looked up to me and just being who I was, was important. A lot of people wanted to see me do well,” he said.

Nick Kyrgios lost to Novak Djokovic in the Wimbledon final. Picture: Ryan Pierse/Getty Images

“Last year was awesome, making a Wimbledon final and achieving things that will last forever was a pretty cool feeling.”

“If I had honestly won that, I think I would (have) retired. Honestly – at least for a year or two,” Kyrgios added.

GRAND SLAM CHALLENGE

“I think I can win a grand slam,” Kyrgios said.

“(The) Wimbledon final I was right there, I was two sets away. I won the first set and I thought, ‘This is it’, but I didn’t stay in the moment and he (Djokovic) is just super composed.

“It’s weird, (winning a grand slam) is not even for me, though. It’s for everyone else. Like all the haters as well, I could finally just rest, I could just go home and actually sleep in my bed and not deal with s---.”