"I struggled early with mental health" - Kyrgios credits Osaka for helping him speak out
ATP
Nick Kyrgios opened up about his mental health struggles, and he also detailed how Naomi Osaka helped him.
Kyrgios has been quite open about the mental health struggles he had to deal with during his life. Only a few years ago, the topic wasn't talked about so much, but today, the mental health is in the spotlight, and the Australian tennis player is one of those not afraid to talk about it.
Recently, Kyrgios was present at the event called "A Conversation with Champions" at the Lotte New York Palace in New York City. The event took part ahead the 2022 US Open, and Kyrgios was one of the "champions" attending.
During the conversation, this year's Wimbledon finalist detailed how he battled mental health struggles throughout his career, not being sure whether it was right to feel the way he felt.
"I actually struggled early with mental health and there were times in my tennis career where I was really struggling. I wasn't sure if I was okay to feel that way."
Kyrgios also mentioned Naomi Osaka, who he said helped him. Only recently, the Australian player joined her agency, EVOLVE, and it's clear that he admires the four-time major winner.
Kyrgios admitted that in a conversation with Osaka, he realized that the Japanese player was feeling similarly to how he was feeling, which helped him to open up about his struggles more, as he knew that there was someone feeling similarly.
"But then, actually, I met Naomi. We did a podcast together, and she kind of opened up. That kind of opened my eyes saying, 'Wow, there's another tennis player as great as the champion she is, that was also going through that. Made me feel more comfortable to open up about it."
It seems that opening up about his mental health struggles helped Kyrgios also on the tennis courts. The 2022 season has been one of the best in his tennis career, and he will hope to continue winning also at the US Open.
