Nick Kyrgios says racist Aussie sport icons told him and family to ‘go back to where we came from’

Nick Kyrgios has revealed that Australian sporting icons have told him and his family to ‘go back to where we came from’ while labeling Australia as ‘one of the most racist countries in the world’.

The tennis bad boy, who pulled out of this year’s Wimbledon on Sunday night with a wrist injury, has lifted the lid on the bigotry he faced growing up.

The 28-year-old firefighter, who was born to a Greek father and a Malaysian mother, has spoken out about racist abuse on the pitch while playing abroad – and now says he has addressed it in his home country as well.

“I’ve dealt with bad racism,” Kyrgios said Men’s health magazine.

Australia is a pretty racist country in general, one of the most racist countries in the world.

Kyrgios claims he and his family (pictured) were told by some of the most iconic people in Aussie sport to go back to where they came from

“I’ve gotten a thick skin in sport and in life, so I’m handling it better than I did. But it’s never easy.

“Some of the most iconic people in sport in Australia have told me and my family to go back to where we came from and this kind of nonsense. Things that are not acceptable, not acceptable at all.’

The controversial Canberran went on to talk about his bad boy image and how it has affected his career.

“I would say sometimes it helped me and sometimes it didn’t,” said Kyrgios.

“Tennis is a very repetitive sport – it’s not easy, it can be very tedious and it takes great discipline and incredible patience.

“People see me as flighty, but you can’t get that far in the sport without calmness and patience. I’m actually incredibly patient.

“I feel like I’ve always been a perfectionist and sometimes to get the best out of myself I need to pick myself up, get out of a rut, boost my energy levels.

“A mental burst can get me going. It’s all about balance. All athletes end up in a zone and have to be pumped up a bit.’

The Aussie (pictured with girlfriend Costeen) has previously claimed that discrimination is the root of his ‘bad boy’ reputation

Kyrgios has previously claimed that discrimination is the root of his “bad boy” reputation.

Speaking on the ABC series Reputation Rehab, he said the sport is inherently a “white gentleman’s sport,” making his position within the game difficult for some to accept.

“It should be a fun sport for white gentlemen,” he said.

“So seeing someone of color like me go out there, be different and be successful is sometimes not so easy to see.”

Last month, the Aussie also revealed that he was admitted to a psychiatric ward in London in 2019 with suicidal thoughts.

The Australian lost to Rafael Nadal in the second round at Wimbledon in four sets and admitted that he was ‘considering whether I wanted to kill myself’.

“I was really thinking about committing suicide,” he says in “Belonging,” episode six of the new series Break Point.

“I lost at Wimbledon. I woke up and my father was sitting on the bed crying. That was the big wake-up call for me.

“I was like, ‘OK, I can’t keep doing this. I ended up in a psychiatric ward in London to sort out my problems.'”

Kyrgios appeared at his scheduled press conference on Sunday morning and talked about the week ahead and his tentative hopes of making an impact this year.

The Aussie firebrand says people see him as flighty, but he’s actually ‘incredibly patient’

Unpredictable as ever, he took to social media on Sunday night to announce he would not be playing after all.

“During my comeback I got some pain in my wrist in Mallorca (where he wanted to play last week),” said the Australian.

“As a precaution, I had it scanned and it came back with a torn band in my wrist.

“I tried everything to play and I’m disappointed to say I just didn’t have enough time to do it before Wimbledon. I will be back and as always I appreciate the support of all my fans.”

The extent of his wrist injury – and how long he might be out – is unclear, but on Saturday he struck with American Maxim Cressy and appeared to hit the ball well enough.

This is the second time in 2023 that Kyrgios has withdrawn from a Grand Slam on the eve of it, having backtracked from the Australian Open at the 11th hour in January.