Nick Kyrgios reveals his ‘suicidal thoughts’ as he breaks silence on allegations he assaulted his ex – and another former lover blasts ‘disappointing’ question she was asked about their relationship
- Nick Kyrgios reached his first-ever Grand Slam singles semi-final on Wednesday
- The Australian star beat Chile’s Cristian Garin 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 (7-5) on Court One
- Revealed he thought his time had passed as he opened up about inner demons
- Broke silence on assault allegations, says he has a lot he wants to say but can’t
- Fellow Aussie Ajla Tomljanovic furious after she was quizzed about Kyrgios saga
- Kyrgios now faces Spain’s Rafa Nadal on Friday for a place in the Wimbledon final
Nick Kyrgios says he’d love to tell his side of the story on allegations he assaulted an ex-girlfriend, as he opened up on his mental health battles after blasting his way into his first Grand Slam semi-final.
Kyrgios had too much firepower for Cristian Garin, eliminating the unseeded Chilean 6-4 6-3 7-6 (7-5) in two hours and 13 minutes on Wednesday – barely 24 hours after it was revealed his former girlfriend Chiara Passari had accused him of assault.
Kyrgios is the last Australian standing at Wimbledon after another former girlfriend, Ajla Tomljanovic earlier lost her quarter-final clash in three sets.
Tomljanovic was also quizzed about the allegations against her former boyfriend and insisted she never endured violence during their two-year relationship.
She later took to social media to express her disgust at being asked to weigh into the saga.
‘Quite disappointing that after almost 2 hours of playing my quarterfinals that that was the first question the journalist chose to ask me, and never proceeded to ask anything match related. Glad to see headlines mostly about that now. Do better,’ Tomljanovic tweeted.
Kyrgios broke his silence on the allegations against him in his post-match press conference before opening up that he once thought he would never reach the final four of a grand slam.
‘There was a point I was almost done with the sport,’ he admitted.
‘I posted last year about the mental state I was in 2019. I was self-harming, I had suicidal thoughts.’
Nick Kyrgios broke his silence on the assault allegations following his quarter-final win
Nick Kyrgios progressed to Wimbledon semi-finals 24 hours after it was revealed his former girlfriend Chiara Passari (pictured together in happier times) had accused him of assault
Fellow Aussie Ajla Tomljanovic (pictured) was angry following a grilling by the media about Nick Kyrgios after she bowed out of Wimbledon in three sets
‘To be a semi-finalist at Wimbledon is a special accomplishment for anyone but especially for me, if you had asked anyone if I could do that they would have said no.
‘Doesn’t have the mental capacity, doesn’t have the physical capacity, doesn’t have the stamina. It’s been a rocky road to here.
‘At the start of the year I didn’t know if I wanted to play a proper schedule. I’d lost the love, I’d lost the spark.’
Kyrgios will appear in ACT Magistrates Court on August 2 to potentially face a common assault charge, 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, kind of my side about it,’ he said.
‘I’ve been advised by my lawyers that I’m unable to say anything at this time.
‘I understand everyone wants to ask about it but I can’t give you too much on that right now.’
Kyrgios said his looming court date didn’t overly affect him before beating unseeded Chilean Garin 6-4 6-3 7-6 (7-5) but admitted he was obviously aware.
‘I’m only human,’ he said.
‘Obviously, I read about it and obviously everyone else was asking questions. It was hard.
‘It was hard to kind of just focus on kind of the mission at hand. It was quarter-finals of Wimbledon today. I know deep down that’s what I was prepared for.
‘It didn’t really affect my preparation at all. I knew I stayed true to myself and give my best performance today.’
Ajla Tomljanovic was grilled about former boyfriend Nick Kyrgios after her Wimbledon quarter final loss and fired a brutal shot at reporters on social media afterwards
Nick Kyrgios (pictured at Wimbledon with new girlfriend Costeen Hatzi) broke his 24-hour silence on assault allegations after his quarter-final win
Tomljanovic expressed her fury about being grilled by reporters about Kyrgios after her earlier quarter-final loss
She says she never endured any domestic violence during her two-year relationship with Kyrgios.
Somewhat taken aback, Tomljanovic, 29, said she wasn’t aware of Kyrgios’s ‘past relationship and the allegations’ when quizzed about her time with him between from 2015 to 2017.
‘I’m not really aware of exactly what’s being said about whatever his past relationship and the allegations. I don’t know what it is,’ she said.
‘It’s been a while since our relationship ended.
‘Obviously, I’ve always kept my relationship very private. I would like to keep it like that.
‘I’m definitely against domestic violence. I hope it gets resolved.
‘But, yeah, I mean, I haven’t had that experience with him.’
Nick Kyrgios reached his first-ever Grand Slam semi-final after steaming past Cristian Garin
It’s not the first time Kyrgios has opened up about his mental health demons.
In March 2021, he candidly ‘he’d been to places he’s not proud’ of in a heartfelt motivational Instagram post aimed to inspire others.
‘This is for anyone who struggles with motivation, struggles with what their purpose is, for those who have days when you don’t want to get out of bed, it’s OK,’ Kyrgios’ post began.
‘I’ve been to places that I’m not proud of, people telling me all the time, ‘waste of talent’, ‘disappointment’.
‘Dealt with disgusting racism, got told by people close to me they have lost hope. I know what it feels like when you think no one is understanding the struggles that are in your head.’
He had a inspirational message to others who had found themselves in a dark place.
‘I’m telling you right now, everything will be OK, enjoy this beautiful life in front of you, do what makes YOU happy. Don’t take this opportunity for granted,’ Kyrgios wrote.
‘Feel free to reach out to me if you are feeling lost, or like you can’t go to anyone. I’m here for you.’
Kyrgios must now overcome Rafael Nadal in Friday’s semi-finals on Centre Court.
Kyrgios, speaking on the court after his win, said: ‘An amazing atmosphere again. I never thought I’d be in the semi-final of a Grand Slam. I thought that ship had sailed – that I may have wasted that window in my career.
‘I’m really happy I was able to come out here with my team and put on a performance.’
People often criticise Kyrgios for not caring because he doesn’t have a coach, and never has had a full-time coach in his career, but he hit back at those remarks after his impressive victory.
The world No 13 hit back at comments that he doesn’t care because he has never had a coach
Kyrgios also revealed that there is plenty of work to do ahead of his semi-final match
He added: ‘I don’t have a coach I would never put that burden on someone! Each and every one of my team plays a very important role.
‘No-one knows my tennis more than I do, I’ve been playing this sport since I was seven and I’m very happy.
‘I felt I was playing on the back foot a lot. Garin’s a hell of a player. I got lucky on a couple of break points so I’ll take that and will prepare for my next match.’
Kyrgios also revealed that there is plenty of work to be done, but first he would recover with a family meal and then prepare for his semi-final match.
‘There’s a lot to be done, go back, dad will cook us dinner as always, we’ll eat it and just chill out.’
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