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Nick Kyrgios recently lamented the negativity that athletes have to deal with as a part of their lives in the spotlight.
Kyrgios, who has been out of the ATP Tour for the majority of the year, was set to make his comeback at this year's Wimbledon with a first-round clash against David Goffin on Monday, July 3. The 2022 Wimbledon finalist has, however, withdrawn from the tournament in the last minute, citing a wrist injury.
Speaking at the pre-event press conference, the Aussie bemoaned the amount of criticism that players have to deal with in the present age of 24x7 media attention. Kyrgios pointed out that attacks from the media can have a negative impact on players' mental health.
"And it's horrible what I think athletes have to deal with," Nick Kyrgios said. "I don't think it's normal at all, how much criticism, how much negativity, how much sniping that people have to deal with now. Especially some players, it's out of control."
The 28-year-old added that he has had to find ways to protect himself from the negativity and has cherished the support that he has received as well.
"I feel like I'm matured to the point where I know I have to make an effort to not be on my phone as much just because," he continued. "Yeah, it's so negative, it's so negative. There's obviously a lot of positive as well, a lot of support, which is amazing."
The Aussie went on to reveal that he has learnt to make the conscious effort to stay away from his mobile phone and the internet, especially after his losses.
"If you don't make the conscious effort, it can really get you down, definitely," Kyrgios said. "I mean, I've consciously made an effort to try and get off my phone more and more now. At tournaments, when you lose matches, when you win matches, it's a rabbit hole. I think a lot of players on the tour struggle with that."
"It took me seven, eight years to be able to just open up about that" - Nick Kyrgios on his mental health
Nick Kyrgios also spoke about his struggle with being more open about his mental health, saying that it took him seven to eigth years to realise that it was okay to talk about it.
The Aussie said he felt that it was important for an athlete to go through the entire process of realising the importance of not ignoring one's mental health/
"I mean, it took me seven, eight years to be able to just open up about that. I kept it very close to the chest for a long time," he said. "But I think it's important. I think a lot of athletes kind of go through that. But just general people that go through the mental struggles, I feel like it's a bit better now."
The World No. 33 said while he still puts a lot of expectations on himself, he has matured over the years and learnt to deal with emotions better.
"Yeah, I feel very different to how I was feeling obviously throughout that period in 2019," he continued. "Yeah, look, I guess I feel great now. Obviously, yeah, it's hard because I'm putting so much expectation on myself. Compared to that time, I'm feeling a lot better."
