Nick Kyrgios says he is looking forward to his chance to answer allegations he assaulted his ex-girlfriend and has opened up about his mental health issues after reaching his first Grand Slam semi-final.
Kyrgios had too much firepower for Christian Garin, eliminating the unseeded Chilean 6-4 6-3 7-6 (7-5) in two hours and 13 minutes at Wimbledon on Wednesday – barely 24 hours after his ex-girlfriend Chiara Passari was revealed accused him of assault.
Kyrgios is the last Australian left at Wimbledon after another former friend, Ajla Tomljanovic, earlier lost their quarter-final clash in three sets.
Kyrgios, who will play Rafael Nadal in the semifinals, spoke about his struggles with the pressures of professional tennis during the post-match conference call.
“There was a point where I was almost done with the sport,” he admitted.
“I posted last year about the mental state I was in in 2019. I was self-harming, having suicidal thoughts.”
Nick Kyrgios has broken his silence on assault allegations following his quarter-final victory
Nick Kyrgios is through to the Wimbledon semi-finals 24 hours after it emerged that his ex-girlfriend Chiara Passari (pictured together in happier times) had accused him of assault
Fellow Australian Ajla Tomljanovic (pictured) was furious following media criticism of Nick Kyrgios after she bowed out of Wimbledon in three sets
“To be a semi-finalist at Wimbledon is a special achievement for anyone, but especially for me, if you had asked anyone if I could do it, they would have said no.
“No mental capacity, no physical capacity, no stamina. The road here has been rocky.
“At the beginning of the year, I didn’t know if I wanted to play the right schedule. I had lost the love, I had lost the spark.
Kyrgios will appear in the ACT Magistrates Court on August 2 to answer a general charge of assault, which carries a maximum sentence of up to two years behind bars.
“I have a lot of thoughts, a lot of things I want to say — my side of it,” he said.
“My lawyers have informed me that I cannot say anything at this time.
“I understand everyone wants to ask about it, but I can’t give you too much about it right now.”
Kyrgios said the upcoming court date was a distraction before beating Garin.
“I’m just human,” he said.
“I read about it and everyone else was asking questions. It was hard.
“It was hard to focus on just the type of mission. Today was the Wimbledon quarterfinals. I know deep down that this is what I was prepared for.
“It didn’t affect my preparation at all. I knew I stayed true to myself and gave my best performance today.
Ajla Tomljanovic was fired up for her ex-boyfriend Nick Kyrgios after his loss in the Wimbledon quarter-finals and then took brutal shots at reporters on social media
Nick Kyrgios (pictured at Wimbledon with new girlfriend Costin Hatzi) has broken his 24-hour silence on assault allegations after his quarter-final win
Meanwhile, Tomljanovic expressed her anger that reporters criticized her for Kyrgios and not her own quarter-final match.
“Quite disappointing that after almost 2 hours of playing in my quarterfinals, that was the first question the journalist chose to ask me, and never followed up with anything related to the match. Glad to see headlines mostly about this now. Be better,” Tomljanovic tweeted.
Tomljanovic insisted she was never abused during their two-year relationship.
“I don’t have that experience with him,” Tomljanovic said.
“I’m not aware of what exactly is being said about his past relationships and the allegations. I do not know what is it
“It’s been a while since our relationship ended.
“I have always kept my relationship a secret. I’d like it to stay that way.
Nick Kyrgios reached his first Grand Slam semi-final after beating Christian Garin
This isn’t the first time Kyrgios has spoken about his mental battles.
In March 2021, he openly “been places he’s not proud of” in a heartfelt motivational Instagram post aimed at inspiring others.
“This is for anyone who struggles with motivation, struggles with their goal, for those who have days where you don’t want to get out of bed, it’s OK,” Kyrgios’ post began.
“I’ve been in places I’m not proud of, people tell me all the time ‘waste of talent, disappointment’.
“I’ve dealt with disgusting racism, people close to me have said they’ve lost hope.” I know how it feels when you think no one understands the struggles that are going on in your head.
He had an inspiring message for others who had found themselves in a dark place.
“I’m telling you right now, everything is going to be okay, enjoy this beautiful life ahead of you, do what makes you happy. Don’t take this opportunity for granted,” Kyrgios wrote.
“Feel free to contact me if you feel lost or like you can’t go to anyone. I’m here for you.’
Following his impressive win, Kyrgios also hit back at criticism of his decision not to have a coach.
“I don’t have a coach, I would never put that burden on someone! Every single one of my team plays a very important role,” he said.
“Nobody knows my tennis better than me, I’ve been playing this sport since I was seven and I’m very happy.
The world number 13 hit back at the comments saying he didn’t care because he had never had a coach
Kyrgios also revealed that he has a lot of work ahead of his semi-final match
“I felt I was playing on the back foot a lot. Garin is a great player. I got lucky with a couple of break points so I’ll take that and prepare for my next match.”
Kyrgios said he would recover with a family meal and then prepare for his semi-final match.
“There’s a lot of work to do, come back, dad will cook us dinner like always, we’ll eat it and relax.”
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