In an individual sport such as tennis, imaginably, it can be difficult to find comfort or empathy from your opponents going through the same motions of traveling and competing.

However, Nick Kyrgios luckily found and friended Naomi Osaka, who made headlines in 2021 for leaving the French Open for mental health reasons, specifically citing depression, and has since related to her on shared mental health experiences.

“To know that there are other, you know, ‘stars’ out there that are dealing with their own problems, in a certain way, it makes you feel like you’re not alone, which is important,” Kyrgios told Esquire in a candid feature.

Kyrgios was admitted to a London psychiatric ward due to suicidal thoughts following a second-round loss at Wimbledon in 2019, where he lost to Rafael Nadal in four sets.

This was later highlighted in the second part of the Netflix docuseries “Break Point.”

“I was genuinely contemplating if I wanted to commit suicide,” Kyrgios said in the sixth episode, titled “Belonging,” which will be released on June 21.

He has notably had troubles in the past before his hospitalization but cited the 2019 summer as the rock bottom due to pressure from fans, social media, and himself.

The 28-year-old Aussie signed with Osaka’s management company, also run by long-time agent Stuart Duguid.

Since Osaka’s unfamiliar withdrawal, the sports space seems to be more forgiving, and it’s something that Kyrgios found eye-opening.

“I mean, the moment I think that we are, I get reminded that we’re getting further away from it,” he said when suggesting the public is more lenient with athletes and their experiences. “I feel like I’m treated like a robot and a monkey pretty much all the time. To be brutally honest with you, rarely do I find that people that are using me or need me actually care about my wellbeing or how I’m doing.”

Simone Biles also withdrew from the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics (played in the summer of 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic) a couple months after Osaka because the six-time Olympic medalist said she was not in the right head space to compete without risking severe injury.

The entertaining and, at times, hot-headed player came onto the scene in 2014 at Wimbledon at 19 years old, where he was made his name known, especially to then No.1 Nadal, who he beat in four sets with 70 winners, also known as untouched winning shots.

Afterward, Kyrgios has been known for his between-the-legs shots, cheeky personality, and ability to surprise any crowd at any moment.

Thus far in this career, he has won seven singles titles and has reached as high as world No. 13.

Kyrgios produced his best run last summer in making it to the quarters of the U.S. Open in Flushing and, notably, the final of Wimbledon against current world No. 1 and recent French Open champ Novak Djokovic, who bested him in four sets.

This year, Kyrgios hasn’t seen much action on the court, as he was sidelined from the Australian Open with a knee injury and missed the French Open due to a foot injury after his Tesla was stolen and his mother was held at gunpoint during the incident last month.