"Holy sh*t, someone's actually doing it" - Nick Kyrgios on how Naomi Osaka helped him deal with mental health issues after French Open controversy

Nick Kyrgios has stated that Naomi Osaka played an important role in the way he dealt with his mental health issues.

The extent of Kyrgios' struggles came to light when Netflix released its Break Point docu-series last year, in which he revealed that he self-harmed after the 2019 Wimbledon Championships due to crashing out in the second round.

After admitting to having had suicidal thoughts, he stated that he sought out help and then spent time in the psychiatric ward in London. The firebrand Aussie has now disclosed that Osaka played a big role in changing his approach to mental health.

"I was drinking, drugs, partying and being out until like 5 am, then playing the next day and it was a big dark depression that I was in and just because I was winning tennis matches it seemed to just be okay. Everyone was like "Okay he's fine then." But that's what's dangerous," he said on the latest episode of the What Now? With Trevor Noah podcast.

Osaka has always been vocal about her mental health issues and she even withdrew from the 2021 Roland Garros.

"This isn't a situation I ever imagined or intended. More importantly, I would never trivialise mental health or use the term lightly. The truth is I have suffered long bouts of depression since the US Open in 2018 and I have had a really hard time coping with that," she had said in a statement.

Osaka's actions had a profound impact on Kyrgios, who even thanked the Japanese star personally for her actions.

"Naomi was the person that I was seeing taking time away from the sport. And then I saw that and that opened my eyes, I was like "Holy shit, someone's actually doing it. Wow." Because I was going through that for ages before she did it," he said.

"And then I told her "You helped me because maybe if I kept going, I wouldn't be here right now." Because that's how bad it was and then I've just now completely shortened my schedule. I only play when I want to play, I only do what I want to do," he added.

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Nick Kyrgios pulls out of 2024 Australian Open while Naomi Osaka is set to compete with a protected ranking

Naomi Osaka is set to take part in the 2024 Australian Open.

Having played only one match in the whole of 2023 due to injury struggles, Nick Kyrgios was widely expected to return to action this year. However, he recently announced that he was pulling out of the upcoming Australian Open as he wasn't fully fit.

"I won’t be able to compete at the 2024 Australian Open. Obviously, [this is] heartbreaking. I’ve had so many amazing memories there, and I just want to really get back to playing at the top of my game and doing it right, and I need a little more time," he posted on his OnlyFans account.

Like Kyrgios, Naomi Osaka has not been seen on the WTA tour for a while after taking maternity leave. The four-time Grand Slam champion returned to action this month at the Brisbane International, where she beat Tamara Korpatsch in the opening round before going down to Karolina Pliskova.

Next, the former World No. 1 will take part in the Melbourne Major using a protected ranking of 31 and is set to take on Caroline Garcia in her opening match.