TENNIS superstar Nick Kyrgios is one of the most colourful sports stars on the planet.
The Australian, who has launched an OnlyFans account, has been a ‘disrupter’ on the court since his debut in 2012.
Nick Kyrgios is one of sport’s most controversial charactersSplash
Kyrgios’ colourful personality has won him plenty of fans
His romance with stunning Costeen Hatzi has kept him on the straight and narrow
Volatile, enigmatic and often brilliant, controversy has followed him wherever he has gone.
But, beneath the surface lies a kind-hearted star who has lent his celebrity and voice to animal welfare and is a strict vegan.
Back in 2019, there was an incident against Casper Ruud that saw him disqualified from the Italian Open.
Brave Kyrgios, 28, also courageously opened up about his mental health struggles on Piers Morgan Uncensored.
While in his private life he has found love with stunning model and influencer, Costeen Hatzi.
The Wild Thing
His talent is unquestionable. After all, he beat the ‘Big Three’ (Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, and Rafael Nadal) the first time he played against them.
Nick’s reputation precedes him.
He also reached a Wimbledon final in 2022 and won the Australian Open doubles event with Thanasi Kokkinakis the same year.
But, as tennis’ most divisive character there was plenty of controversy along the way.
Kyrgios was followed extensively by Netflix’s Break Point, with the Hollywood streaming service knowing full well he was box office material.
His biggest meltdown came in a match-up with Casper Ruud at the Italian Open in 2019.
After insulting a fan, kicking a bottle, throwing his racket and a chair on court, Kyrgios was disqualified.
Ruud labelled his opponent an “idiot on the court” and called for his rival to be banned for six months.
Kyrgios retorted on social media, daring Ruud to say it to his face and saying he would “rather watch paint dry then watch you play tennis”.
That was not an isolated incident. At his Wimbledon final he famously pointed out a fan in the crowd who looked like “she’d had 700 drinks”.
Prior to that, his ill-tempered match with Stefanos Tsitsipas saw both players fined for their behaviour on the court.
Kyrgios’ court tantrums have been evident to seeAP
Smashing his racket on court has often landed Kyrgios in troubleGetty
There was no love lost when Kyrgios took on Stefanos Tsitsipas at Wimbledon
But he’s misunderstood
Take away the machismo, off the court Kyrgios is an animal activist and sensitive soul. And perhaps his past misdemeanours are behind him.
In 2020, he gave up eating meat and now sticks strictly to a vegetable diet.
But it had to nothing to do with his sporting career and nutrition.
He was left devastated by seeing the amount of animals killed by bush fires that swept through Australia.
“I’ve been passionate about animal welfare for some time now,” Kyrgios revealed in Athlete’s Voice.
“I don’t eat meat or dairy anymore. That’s not for my health, I just don’t believe in eating animals.
“I tried a vegan diet a couple of years ago but with all the travel I do, it was hard to stick to it. Since then I’ve managed to make it work, and I’ve been vegetarian for quite a while.
“Seeing the footage of these animals suffering with the fires only reinforces why I’ve chosen this diet. When I see these terrible photos, I can’t comprehend eating meat.”
When he competed in the Australian Open that same year, he pledged to donate $20 to wildfire relief efforts for every ace he served.
read more sport features
Kyrgios’ love of animals shines through on his Instagram
Kyrgios became an animal activist in 2020
The same year bush fires swept through Australia killing animals, Kyrgios became vegan
He ended up serving 100 aces in the tournament, which meant he gave $20,000 to charity.
Mental health
The brutal truth of Kyrgios’ mental health struggles was recently laid bare during an episode of Piers Morgan Uncensored on TalkTV.
Kyrgios detailed his problems from four years ago when he suffered with depression and substance abuse after previously revealing that he was admitted to a psychiatric ward in London after losing to Rafael Nadal at Wimbledon in 2019.
He revealed that Murray asked him about the abnormal physical damage on his arm during a practice session before going on to then alert his manager, John Morris.
However, a new revelation that saw him thank Andy Murray for helping him overcome thoughts of suicide after he spotted signs of self-harm on the Aussie were heartbreaking to hear.
Kyrgios said: “Andy was always a big supporter of me. As soon as I came on the tour, he kind of saw a work in progress and took me under his wing.
“Then he realised later in my career that I don’t think I was coachable or I was on my own path, but he was always someone that was looking out for me.
“He saw it [the self-harm] and he said, ‘What’s that on your arm?’ It was pretty bad at that stage.
“Andy obviously was trying to give me advice on it. But I was just so stuck in my ways at that time that I didn’t listen. Obviously I’m very thankful. I thank him a lot.”
GettyKyrgios has been honest and frank about his mental health struggles[/caption]
TALK TVKyrgios appears on Piers Morgan Uncensored and revealed his self-harm issues[/caption]
Andy Murray recognised Kyrgios needed help
Kyrgios continued: “I think it was all a year-and-a-half to two years of just complete harm. It was pretty dark to be honest.
“I won tournaments on the professional tour, drinking every night, self-harming, burning things on my arm, cutting myself for fun. It became an addiction of pain. I hated myself. I hated waking up and being Nick Kyrgios.”
The experience has led Kyrgios into becoming an informal therapist for others who suffer from suicidal thoughts.
Keeping him on the straight and narrow
The 23-year-old brunette is credited with being a calming influence on Kyrgios.
Helping him, admittedly, overcome his demons is the beautiful influencer Costeen Hatzi.
They wear their love on their sleeve.
In a gushing Instagram post on her birthday this year, he wrote: “Who you choose to go through this life with is probably the most important decision you make. I’d choose you every time….
“Happy birthday to my closest friend, the person who hates me one minute and loves me the next, the best girlfriend, my biggest fan, my love, and a great partner in life. So happy to bring another year of life in with you! I love you.”
It is believed they met online in 2022 and soon became soulmates.
instagram/costeenhatziHelping keep Kyrgios on the straight and narrow is stunning Costeen Hatzi[/caption]
Costeen and Kyrgios began dating in 2022instagram/costeenhatzi
EPABrunette beauty Costeen accompanies Kyrgios wherever he goes[/caption]
Stunning Costeen is a model and influencer
Their romance featured heavily on Break Point, which showed behind-the-scenes footage of them at dinner, practice sessions and major tournaments.
Wherever he goes, so does she and he always acknowledges her after a game.
Finally, tennis’ bad boy has been tamed.