Nick Kyrgios leads support for Katie Swan after Brit opens up on mental health struggles
The British No5 shared a brave, lengthy post on Twitter today to reveal some of her difficulties
NICK KYRGIOS led the support for Katie Swan after the youngster opened up on her mental health struggles.
The British No5, 20, shared a brave and honest message to her 21,000 Twitter followers today.
And Australian Kyrgios replied with a 'prayer' emoji to stand with his fellow tennis star, while close friend Katie Boulter and the WTA also replied with their best wishes.
Swan - who is looked after by Andy Murray's 77 Management company - said: "Hey guys, since May is mental awareness month and by chance this month has been the first time in my life I have fully invested time and effort into this I wanted to share a bit of my experience...
"In the last 6-8 months I have struggled a lot with my confidence on and off the court and also finding joy in what I'm doing for different reasons.
"I was so afraid of disappointing my family, team and all the people around supporting me and I lost a lot of belief in myself.
"Every match I lost I didn't just feel like a worse tennis player, but also less of a person.
"I decided to keep most of these thoughts to myself because I didn't want to be a burden for anyone and it's also very hard to open up about this.
Three weeks ago I wasn't sure if I wanted to play in Roland Garros because I was afraid to embarrass myself. Today I am heading back to London with my head held high and feeling proud. Proud of the way I turned things around mentally in such a short time and still with a lot of improvement to go.
Katie Swan
"However, a couple of weeks ago I thought to myself this can one of two ways... I can keep feeling more and more down until I really can't take it anymore or I can actively try to change and improve things.
"I decided to meet with a psychologist and really open up about everything I have been feeling. The first thing she told me is... this is totally normal!
"She also congratulated me on making the effort to change because that is a big step in itself.
"I now realise that this life of a tennis player isn't about pleasing people or showing your worth to them, it's about proving it to yourself.
"If you can go to bed at night and tell yourself you are proud of yourself then that is all the reason you need to be happy and satisfied.
"Three weeks ago I wasn't sure if I wanted to play in Roland Garros because I was afraid to embarrass myself.
"Today I am heading back to London with my head held high and feeling proud. Proud of the way I turned things around mentally in such a short time and still with a lot of improvement to go.
"This isn't something I would normally open up about but it has made such a big difference to my overall wellbeing, so I thought it was worth sharing.
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"If you are struggling in life, please get help it is so worth it! Katie."
Swan lost in the final round of qualifying for this year's French Open yesterday following a three-set battle with Kristina Kucova.
Earlier in the week, she had earlier beaten Jil Teichmann and Xiyu Wang so knew victory over Kucova would earn her a place in the main draw at Roland Garros for the first time.
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