Nick Kyrgios reveals how being on the road affects his on-court performance and more

On the first episode of the "No Boundaries" podcast, Nick Kyrgios and his two best friends Alex Babanine and James Frawley made it clear that the series would be open and unfiltered conversations and so far it's been true. In the most recent episode, Kyrgios practiced vulnerability by talking about just how hard it is to be on the road for six months or more at a time.

The Aussie who kicked off the season ranked No. 46 in the world is currently No. 96 and although he only played eight tournaments this season, the time spent on the road is proving to be a challenge mentally, emotionally and physically. Especially when it comes to being away from his significant other.

“With my first girlfriend, I was away from her for six months at a time,” Kyrgios said.

“When you’re trying to perform at the highest level, you start missing someone like emotionally, physically and it becomes a sexual frustration. “I’m on court and I can’t play because I’m a bit horny, if you know what I mean."

The 26-year-old player then went on to explain how "moody" he was both on and off the court. Not only was it becoming overwhelming emotionally being thousands of miles away from home and loved ones, it seemed to be hurting his on-court performance.

"It doesn’t matter if you’re in an office job. If you’re not seeing your significant other, it affects you, your work, your mood, everything. I was the moodiest motherf* when I was away from my missus for that long," he said.

Although he only played just more than a handful of events this year, Kyrgios finished with a losing 7-8 record. Only on three occasions this year did he manage to put two consecutive match wins together. Back in 2014, Kyrgios was getting the best of 20-time major winner Rafael Nadal at 2014 Wimbledon and winning a slew of events in 2016.

During the podcast episode he also explained how the distance also affected his relationship with family.

“My relationship with my family wasn’t great a few years ago because I was always away and didn’t have my family around me.

“I was winning, losing, going through relationship problems, dealing with other problems and I was pushing them away because you feel like the world’s against you.

Pushing those he loves most away was something he was involuntarily doing solely by traveling the world, but after recognizing all of this—he hopes to make improvements going forward.

“I pushed everyone who was close to me away and I fell out with people and that’s something I’d never want again," he said.

The next episode of the No Boundaries podcast will feature comedian and impersonator Elliot Loney.