Nick Kyrgios reveals he was ‘drinking EVERY night’ as his career ‘spiralled out of control’ – and his manager was so concerned that he would track him down following wild nights out
- Nick Kyrgios opened up on his ‘chaotic’ lifestyle during his early tennis career
- The 27-year-old spoke candidly during the first episode of Netflix’s Break Point
- Kyrgios said he used to drink ‘every night’ and ‘spiralled out of control’
- His manager had to track him down using his phone following nights out
- Kyrgios has opted to prioritise his mental wellbeing over the relentless schedule
Nick Kyrgios has candidly shared how he would ‘drink every night’ as his tennis career threatened to ‘spiral out of control’ following his global breakthrough.
The 27-year-old makes the confession during his episode of Netflix’s new series, Break Point, with the streaming giants following the Canberra-born superstar during his campaign at the Australian Open.
Kyrgios grabbed headlines when he defeated the all-conquering Rafael Nadal at Wimbledon in 2014, and he says that the attention and scrutiny levelled at him caused him to go off the rails.
Nick Kyrgios has shared how used to ‘drink every night’ during his early tennis career
During a frank discussion with girlfriend Costeen Hatzi, Kyrgios opened up on his ‘chaotic’ ways, and how his manager, Daniel Horsfall, had to pick up the pieces.
‘The first four or five years of my career it was so chaotic,’ Kyrgios said. ‘When it was Horse [Horsfall] on tour with me looking after me, when it was basically just him looking after me, he could just see my mental wellbeing just declining every week. My life was like spiraling out of control — drinking every single night.’
Horsfall detailed how he would have to go out and find Kyrgios on multiple occasions following wild nights out, using the tracking app ‘Find my Friends’ on his phone.
The 27-year-old shared how he used to struggle with constant criticism when he broke through
His manager, Daniel Horsfall (right) said he would have to track Kyrgios down after a wild night
‘I used to have your location on my phone and some mornings I would physically go find where you were, what hotel you were at, who’s house you were staying at before tournaments, before a match,’ Horsfall said. ‘That was tough.’
Kyrgios has decided to take a step back from the relentless tennis schedule, playing in fewer tournaments across the world to prioritise his mental health. He says he was desperate for a more ‘normal’ life.
‘I was like, “OK I can’t keep doing this,”‘ Kyrgios said. ‘I have to be kinder to myself. For my mental health, I could never be one of those players that plays all year round.
‘I couldn’t do that. I value my family, my close, close friends and Cosi [Hatzi] too much to put tennis in front of that anymore. I don’t think it’s healthy.
‘I don’t really have any expectations now with my matches. I just want to go out there and have fun, take the pressure off and then we can kind of live more of a normal life. It’s much better like this, that’s for sure.’
Kyrgios says he is prioritising his mental wellbeing over the relentless tennis schedule
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