“Tennis changed him, I didn’t know this other person that he had become” - Christos Kyrgios pens emotional tribute to his brother Nick Kyrgios ahead of Wimbledon final

The talented but controversial Nick Kyrgios has always been a polarizing player, with his on-court tantrums resulting in countless fines since bursting onto the scene in 2014.

The 27-year-old Aussie has been fined a total of $14,000 at this year's Wimbledon for his antics. He is also set to make a court appearance in Australia after being accused of allegedly assaulting an ex-girlfriend.

Ahead of Sunday’s Wimbledon final, Christos Kyrgios, Nick’s estranged older brother, has penned an emotional tribute in The Sunday Morning Herald, sharing how he lost his little brother over the past few years.

“For a big chunk of the last six or seven years, I lost my little brother. That kid I grew up with, who was so carefree and engaging, was almost gone. The world changed him. Tennis changed him. He became distracted; always worried about something. Even when you were with him, he wasn’t present in the moment,” Christos wrote.

“People wouldn’t know this but Nick and I stopped talking for quite a while. When he was going out until all hours of the morning, trying to drink his way out of his depression, I overstepped the mark. I crossed the line. Although, in my heart I know it was coming from a good place,” he added.

Earlier this year, Kyrgios admitted to being depressed and having suicidal thoughts, abusing drugs and self-harming during a dark period in his life in 2019. He blamed it on the relentless grind of the sport, being away from his family and putting pressure on himself.

Continuing further, Christos wrote how Nick struggled to get out of bed and became a "prisoner in his own body."

"He was a prisoner in his own body, going through the motions without any sense of happiness in the life he'd worked so hard to make for himself. I'd come over to visit mum and dad's, and Nick wouldn't get out of bed before midday. And when he did, he was straight out the door. In four or five days, I'd see him for an hour. I missed my brother. I didn't know this other person that he had become," Christos wrote.

The turning point in Kyrgios’ career came after he met his current girlfriend Costeen Hatzi late last year, according to Christos. He credited her with helping him separate tennis and personal life.

“But since he met his girlfriend Costeen, she’s helped open his eyes again. She’s cut from that same cloth where family is the most important thing. There was a lot of chaos in Nick’s life before he met her. The way he wanted his life to be was not the way things were unfolding. He was caught between trying to be someone everyone said he was and being the person he wanted to be,” he wrote.

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Nick Kyrgios yet to taste defeat against Novak Djokovic

Nick Kyrgios in action at the 2022 Wimbledon Championships.

Both Novak Djokovic and Nick Kyrgios will be eager to come out on top when they face each other in a mouthwatering Wimbledon final on Sunday.

Kyrgios has a perfect 2-0 head-to-head record against his Wimbledon final opponent Djokovic, having beaten him twice in 2017.

The Australian defeated him in the quarterfinals of the Mexican Open before triumphing over him in the fourth round of the Indian Wells Masters.

If Kyrgios wins, he will become the first Australian man to win a Grand Slam singles title since Lleyton Hewitt in 2002. If Djokovic triumphs, he will join Roger Federer and Pete Sampras as the only men to have won Wimbledon on seven or more occasions.