Australian tennis wild child Nick Kyrgios has confirmed his long-awaited comeback from injury, as the tennis world braces for a new documentary in which the 2022 Wimbledon finalist reveals the truth behind his partying and mental health struggles.
Concerns surrounding Kyrgios’s physical and psychological fitness for the upcoming Australian Open had been spiralling since the 27-year-old Canberran withdrew from Australia’s United Cup team at the 11th hour last month, citing an ankle injury.
However, Tennis Australia chief executive, Craig Tiley, allayed fears the world No 22 would miss his home Open by confirming he was fit to meet Djokovic in a friendly match at Rod Laver Arena on 13 January, with all proceeds donated to charity.
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“Get set for explosive action as tennis’ most famous frenemies come together on RLA for an exciting practice match,” tweeted Tennis Australia chief executive Craig Tiley.
Friday is the same night Netflix airs the first episode of Break Point, a 10-part documentary following tennis’s “Generation Next”. The series focuses on Kyrgios and the game’s twentysomething stars challenging Djokovic and Nadal at the top, a changing of the guard polarising tennis fans but also stressing players.
Kyrgios, along with his good friend and doubles partner, Thanasi Kokkinakis, are the focus of Break Point’s premiere episode, which chronicles the pair’s incredible run to the Australian Open title in Melbourne in the summer of 2022, as well as diving deep into Kyrgios’s much-publicised off-court issues.
Kyrgios reveals in Break Point his life was “spiralling out of control”, that he was “drinking every single night” and that only the recent intervention of girlfriend Costeen Hatzi saved him from continuing his “chaotic” opening years on tour. “I was – ‘OK, I can’t keep doing this’. I just had to be kinder to myself,” Kyrgios says in an excerpt. “I value my family, my close, close friends and Cossie too much to put tennis in front of that any more – I don’t think that’s healthy.”
Despite his most successful year on tour in 2022, Kyrgios says he doubts he’ll ever resume a “full” tennis schedule, saying the time away from loved ones wasn’t worth it.
“The first four or five years of my career were just so chaotic,” Kyrgios reveals. “For my mental health, I could never be one of those players again that plays all year round. I don’t really have any expectations now in my matches – I just want to go out there, have fun, and take the pressure off, and we can kind of live more of a normal life – it’s much better like this, that’s for sure.”
Kyrgios told the Age this week: “It was important to me that Netflix saw me for me, and not the same narrative general media talks about. I had the team follow me around quite a lot in major points of the year so hopefully this gives people a better insight to me as a person, rather than just a tennis player. I know this will ultimately help the sport grow and bring new fans.”
Kyrgios acknowledges the debt he owes his manager and confidante, Daniel Horsfall. “He could just see my wellbeing just declining every week.” Kyrgios admits. Horsfall reveals he used a tracking device to find his client on long, boozy nights out, often on the eve of grand slam matches.
“I used to have your location on my phone,” Horsfall tells Kyrgios. “Some mornings, I would physically have to go and find where you were. What hotel you were staying at, whose house you were staying at. Before tournaments … before a match.”
Last year, Kyrgios’s mother, Nill, told media that former world No 1 Andy Murray was another major catalyst in saving her son’s life. The Scot noticed evidence of self-harm on Kyrgios’s body and warned his former manager, John Morris.
Greek champion Stefanos Tsitsipas’s long-running feud with Kyrgios is also explored in the documentary, whose second part, to air later in the year, follows Kyrgios’s run to the Wimbledon final last year where he lost to Djokovic 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (7-3). “[Kyrgios] is not a bad guy,” Tsitsipas tells Break Point. “He just becomes the devil when he enters the court.”
