Kyrgios hoping to bury his demons with fresh AO start

Volatile Nick Kygios is vowing to bring his best behavior to the Australian Open as he makes his first appearance at his home Grand Slam since 2022.

Two seasons of injuries and absences from the ATP should end when the former Wimbledon finalist opens in the Melbourne first round against Brit Jakob Fearnley.

With a massive disciplinary record and a patchy reputation as a tennis disrupter, Kyrgios hopes to turn his bad boy image on his head with his 30th birthday approaching in April.

The Australian told Melbourne’s Herald Sun of his latest effort to become respectable as he tries to put past drink and drug problems behind.“I was to a point where I couldn’t drink or drug correctly at all. I couldn’t even go to a little function and have one (drink).

“It was out of control, so I think just having someone genuine (to talk to) and not blocking people out is a massive one. And you can’t do things on your own.’’

The player said he wants to advise others in the same situation: “This is a brutal time to be growing up in, and there is a lot of s**t going on,’’ he said.

“I think people get really internal and they try to take on their problems on their own. With social media, they are always comparing and it just becomes a bit of a rat race in your mind.,” said the former No. 13 who admitted he once considered ending it all.

He added: “You’ve got so much to deal with – it could be work, it could be relationships, it might be family issues – and then things just pile and pile and pile. Then you look for outlets and they are usually the worst ones.

“They (substances) are so accessible so I can completely understand how you go down that path and it’s completely OK if you start to go down that path.

“But realise that it’s not going to fix anything that is building up in you. Talk to your family and talk to your good friends.’’