Nick Kyrgios: Grand Slam Mentality

Nick Kyrgios reveals all: battling demons, chasing glory, and finding strength in vulnerability. I’m serving up an important talk about peak performance and MENTAL HEALTH issues this week with NICK KYRGIOS, one of the most fascinating, and complex athletes in the world today and a powerhouse in the tennis arena known not just for his explosive talent but for navigating the complexities of mental health in the glaring spotlight. Originally from Greece, Nick moved to Australia at a young age and became one of the TOP TENNIS PLAYERS IN THE WORLD. He is known for a mercurial, aggressive style of play, including his fiery on-court rants, fines, suspensions, and other colorful displays. He has developed a legion of devoted fans, and a fair number of critics as well. But as you’ll hear, there’s a lot more to Nick than what you see in on the court. As Nick steps back to rehab from an injury, he's hitting pause to reflect on his whirlwind of achievements and the road ahead. For anyone standing at their own life's crossroads, Nick's candid exploration of his triumphs, trials, and mental health offers invaluable insights. In this episode we dive into: Overcoming imposter syndrome and building a foundation of self-worth amidst the pressures of professional sports. From battling substance abuse to confronting suicidal thoughts, Nick shares his journey through the mental health challenges that shadow athletic excellence The Weight of Expectations of others while staying true to your path The Cost of Victory and the all-consuming drive to win and the personal toll it exacts Knowing when to step back for self-preservation and the courage it takes to make that choice Hear what facing giants like Nikola Djokovic on the court reveals about competing with the elite Nick discusses his proudest moments, deepest regrets, and the lessons learned along the way Nick’s story is more than a sports narrative; it's a powerful reminder of the importance of authenticity, resilience, and the ongoing battle for mental well-being in the face of extraordinary pressure. His openness and honesty provide not only a rare glimpse into the life of a top athlete but also lessons on staying true to oneself despite the challenges. This episode transcends tennis, touching on the universal themes of ambition, adversity, and the unyielding quest for personal peace and fulfillment. Nick Kyrgios reminds us that even in the loneliest battles, there’s strength to be found in vulnerability and immense power in authenticity. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

• 0:00Ed Mylett?

  So hey guys, are you frustrated with where you're at right now? Maybe stunted in your progress? Well, if you are, I want to recommend a place for you to go called Growth Day. GrowthDay.com/Ed. It is the number one personal development app on the planet. It's got all kinds of high-performance techniques in there. Courses, accountability, journaling, live speeches from some of the top influencers in the world, including me. It's an overall environment to change your life. GrowthDay.com/Ed. I hear so many small business owners say the exact same thing. They just never have enough time in the day. Well, I measure time differently. I've compressed, condensed, heck, I've bent time. My first day is 6:00 a.m. to noon. My second day starts at noon and goes till 6:00 p.m. And my third day, 6:00 p.m. to midnight.

• 0:46Ed Mylett?

  I now get 21 days a week. Stack that up over a month, over a year, over five years, and my life's completely different than it would have been otherwise. And if you want to win as an entrepreneur, you have to compress your time too. And you definitely can't afford to waste it waiting weeks on a big bank for capital. Your best bet's to work with my friends at Cardiff. They know how to compress time for entrepreneurs. They get your business approved in minutes and funded the very same day. They're America's favorite small business lender, and for good reason. Over 20 years in business, over $12 billion deployed to small business across America. Stop letting bank delays slow down your momentum. Head to cardiff.co/Ed. That's cardiff.co/Ed. Cardiff.co. Real growth, fast funding. Cardiff, borrow better.

• 1:31Speaker 01

  This episode is brought to you by Michelob Ultra. Good times mean competitions between you and your friends, like seeing who can throw some pigskin the farthest or rush the field the fastest. Winner gets an Ultra. Because it's not just a superior light beer, it's also giving fans superior access to their favorite sporting events. Superior is worth playing for. Visit michelobultra.com/superioraccess to enter. Enjoy responsibly. Copyright 2026 Anheuser-Busch InBev Michelob Ultra Beer, St. Louis, Missouri.

• 2:05Ed Mylett?

  This is the Ed Mileage Show.

• 2:09Ed Mylett?

  All right, welcome back to the show, everybody. So I'm so excited about today. This gentleman that we're going to visit with, to me, he may be the most fascinating athlete of my lifetime.

• 2:20Ed Mylett?

  He's a compelling figure. He's an interesting man. I'd call him, you know, on the surface, he's a very complex person. We'll see today when we talk with him. He's also, I would tell you, I think the most gifted tennis player that I've ever seen. Talented or gifted, but between the two, he can do things on a tennis court that almost no one who has ever lived has been able to do. And he's, he's going to be an interesting conversation today about success, about what really matters, mental health, performing under pressure, humility. I think you're going to see a side to him today, if you're, if you're familiar with him, that you've never seen before. Mutual friends of ours rave about him just as a human being. So Nick Kyrgios, welcome to the show.

• 3:01Speaker 02

  I appreciate that, Ed. Thanks for having me. I'm looking forward to it.

• 3:04Ed Mylett?

  So am I, man. So let's look at tennis just real quick, although I don't want to spend a lot of time today talking about tennis. I want to talk about you as a person. But I've watched you over the years and probably like a lot of people, sometimes you frustrate me, if I can be candid, because I see this immensely talented and gifted man.

• 3:23Ed Mylett?

  And then sometimes, I don't know if you feel this way, but there's been times where, by the way, I root for you in every match you're in, literally every match you're in. I find myself, I don't care if it's against Djokovic, Nadal, whoever it is, I root for you. But sometimes I wonder if you're even rooting for yourself when you're out there. Is that a fair question to ask you?

• 3:43Speaker 02

  Yeah, I think, I mean, look, I've always had a bit of a love hate relationship with tennis. I played basketball when I was a kid as well, and that was my, my true passion. And at 14, obviously picked the tennis kind of journey. My parents pushed me heavily towards tennis. So I guess I never really completely loved the sport, and I didn't really have passion for it. So every, every time I kind of stepped out, there was always a battle of being completely vulnerable and going out there and giving my best effort all the time, even though I'm a, I'm a really sick obsession and I'm, I hate losing and I'm a really, I'm a true competitor, that's for sure. But tennis has always been a, you know, not even my true passion. So that's been a hard struggle my whole career as well.

• 4:26Ed Mylett?

  What about now that you're injured? You're telling me you're in a tough rehab right now? Has distance made your heart grow fonder? Or has this distance told you, you know what? I really like my life away from the game? And the things I'm enjoying, not having to do with the pressure, the expectations, the haters, the whatever it is. Where are you at now?

• 4:46Speaker 02

  Um, I still deal with the haters daily. Um, it's like I've had, I've had two surgeries now in a year and, and as an athlete, it's incredibly hard because rehab's not a fun place to be. You know, it's almost harder on a day-to-day basis than it is playing and when you're healthy. You know, you've got to do two sessions a day, two gym sessions a day. Got to make sure your diet's good. You've got to just be like really knuckling down to getting back to that full health. But in a way, it's been, you know, a really crucial time for my, I think, just as a human outside of tennis, because I was from Australia and I was traveling six, seven months a year away from my family. Um, because in Australia, we have barely any tournaments here. So the, the rest of the tour is all

• 5:27Speaker 02

  always overseas. So I guess now being injured, it's given me to really spend that quality time with my family. Um, you know, I, I felt like I hadn't seen them in the last 10 years of my life because I was always traveling, playing and and just grinding, I guess. So now it's been good to be back home and, and spending time with them and just being able to build so many other things off the court as well, which I think is so crucial for an athlete. Athletes struggle with that so much because they don't know what, what else to do after they, after they finish. So, um, you know, that's been really a challenge for me too, but I've, I've fallen in love with so many things outside of the sport of tennis. Um, and, and, and just like having a conversation with you, um, you know, this would never have come if I, if I wasn't injured as well. So I know it's all a bonus. And I just got to change my perspective on it all.

• 6:13Ed Mylett?

  Do you want to come back and play?

• 6:15Speaker 02

  Uh, for sure. You know, I, I definitely think I've got so much more to give. And I've got millions of fans out there who, who want me to come, go out there and, and play and and try and take it to these, I guess, gods of the sport like Djokovic, like a normal guy like me, like. That will go out there and and give these guys a good run. I think, um, you know, that's special. And I think of my body's got a little bit left and and I feel like I've still got fire in the belly. You know, I've been putting in some hard yards the last month, so I definitely feel like I'll be back. Um, and I just, yeah, I think I just don't want my fans and and everyone to expect, you know, five more years of of this circus that that takes the takes the court.

• 6:51Ed Mylett?

  Yeah, I want you to tell us about top level athletics that we wouldn't know. So I'm always fascinated. You're going out before a final at Wimbledon and it's you and Djokovic in the tunnel. You're both standing there. It's the it's the day of. It's a it's a match against Nadal or just another really great player. So, I mean, people don't realize this. Look, there's tennis, there's there's junior tennis, there's high school tennis, there's college tennis. Then there's all these levels of tennis. Then there's professional tennis. Then there's the majors. Then there's, you know, getting to the quarterfinals. Then there's getting to the semifinals. You're talking about on spinning planet Earth.

• 7:27Speaker 02

  Yep.

• 7:28Ed Mylett?

  Really two, three, four human beings experience this at every tournament, right? What what would we not know about that, Nick? Like when you're back there in the tunnel and it's you and Djokovic or warming up? Tell us something we don't know about the highest level that might surprise us or some insights into the top of the top.

• 7:46Speaker 02

  So tennis is probably the only sport in the world that so basically me and Djokovic, we were Wimbledon is a little bit different. So let me say the US Open, so in New York. So I'm playing Daniil Medvedev. He's the number one player at the world at the time. And he's a reigning US Open champion. So 10 minutes before we walk out to the center court, Arthur Ashe Stadium, I think it holds like, I don't know, something crazy, 60,000 or something. So in front, five minutes before about to walk out and play in front of all those people and millions worldwide watching. Man, this guy, my opponent, could be Djokovic, could be Rafael, we're all in the same locker room.

• 8:28Speaker 02

  So I say, I shower next to these guys. Like we're in the same locker room and we eat next to each other. And then we have to go out and play against each other for for four and a half hours. And then after we finish, we come back into the same locker room and we sit next to each other. It's like unheard of in sport, like everyone has separate locker rooms, like NBA, NFL, NHL, they'll have separate locker rooms. You don't see the person like hours before. I literally see these guys for hours and hours before the match and we're walking out together and we walk back. It's crazy.

• 9:00Ed Mylett?

  Wow, I never knew that. Like literally, I I saw you in the tunnel, but I did not know that.

• 9:05Speaker 02

  We don't have separate locker rooms. We're all in the same locker room. We all shower together. We all eat together. It's crazy.

• 9:10Ed Mylett?

  So what's that like? Like are certain guys playing some little bit mental warfare in there? Like they're kicking them their distance or really?

• 9:18Speaker 02

  Yeah, some some people are really quiet in there and some people just keep their distance. Like me, I'm always in the locker room like with like a couple of my mates, like me and Novak or me and Andy Murray. Like we will always be quite like a joker in the locker room and stuff. So people could look at that as like mental warfare too, like me just like clowning around. But there are definitely some people in there who don't give away anything like they get their business done and just leave. But yeah, I mean, before, when would and me and Novak just walked out of locker room together, we walked through the tunnel. There's the royal families on the left, like there's guards there on the right and I'm walking in front of Novak and I'm like a kid from Canberra who was suicidal, who was struggling with his own confidence and own identity. He's now playing in front of the royal family, walking in front of Novak to the biggest stage in world tennis. And I was like,

• 10:03Speaker 02

  this is nuts. And then the doors like slowly open, every blade of grass is even. And I'm like, Nick Kyrgios isn't supposed to be here.

• 10:10Ed Mylett?

  Wow. Damn, that's cool right there, man. That's super cool. When you're, uh, I'm really glad I asked you that. Let me ask you this. What if you don't like the guy? There's got to be a guy you don't like. Like if you're back there, this is like.

• 10:23Speaker 02

  Yeah, yeah. I mean, there's heaps of people that I didn't get along with great in the locker room and we didn't like each other at all. But I shower next to that guy and I ate with that guy and we just go out on court and compete for four hours.

• 10:34Ed Mylett?

  When you're in a match and you you're starting to wear a dude out, right? Are there, can you feel it? Like, you feel like he's losing it? I can, has there been a time like they have to say who if you don't want to? But like, can you begin to feel I am, he's losing his will? I'm outwilling this dude right now. I'm too much for this dude right now. Does that happen? Do you feel it?

• 10:59Speaker 02

  Yeah, in Grand Slam of Tennis, I mean, it's best of five sets, obviously. So you can literally, my longest match I've ever played is four hours and 58 minutes. Um, like absolute battle in, uh, down in Australia. But yeah, you can, I think mentally, um, when you're out there for that long on your own, you've got no teammates, you've got nothing. You have some serious conversations with yourself, you know, on the change events. Like, it's, it's a mental warfare. Usually people have signs physically in that long that they're starting to kind of slow down a bit. You know, I've played a couple of top people in five sets and I look at them and I look at them. They're looking at their team and they know that they're physically starting to slow down. But, I mean, the lesson I learned physically was early.

• 11:42Speaker 02

  I was 19 and I was playing in the Australian Open. Um, and I was one set away from winning and I wasn't physically conditioned yet to win these long matches. And I full, my, my, my quad started cramping, my whole leg started cramping up. And I actually wasn't able to, to play. And I lost, I ended up losing the match and I was like, that was the conversation I had. I'm like, I'm never gonna ever lose a match again because I'm physically not ready to, to win these long, long matches. So it starts with, if you're physically in good shape, I think that actually adds to your mental strength. I think people think that, oh, you've got to be mentally happy first to, and I, I think it's actually incorrect.

• 12:22Speaker 02

  I think if, I think looking after your physical shape is, is more important first. Cause I think that links to you being like, okay, cool. Like I'm, I'm, I feel good, I look good and I'm, I'm ready to keep going and I feel better about myself. I think physicality is more important, in my opinion.

• 12:39Ed Mylett?

  I to- I a million percent agree with you, even when it comes to mental health. I think it's hard to talk yourself and think yourself out of a mental situation you're in. I think it's a physical, moving your body, taking a walk, as you said earlier.

• 12:51Speaker 02

  Hundred percent.

• 12:52Ed Mylett?

  Working out, you agree with that? I'm big time, I feel like which more important, the physical or the mental? That's a really hard thing. But if I had to pick one, it would probably be to move my body physically. That changes my state.

• 13:02Speaker 02

  Definitely, but you just like, if you, if you feel good and you look good and you're happy with the way you, you know, you, you, you, you're just functioning. I think mentally, that's just, that's just gonna, that's just gonna roll on as well.

• 13:12Ed Mylett?

  So, most of the people that watch my show, they may or may not know tennis. In fact, I bet twenty percent know tennis. But they're all people who, they're trying to make their dreams come true. They're trying to figure out how do they win, what really makes them happy? You know, would getting to the top of something truly make them happy? How do they get to the top? So, let's, let's, let's unpack that for a minute. I'm curious as to your insights about this. So, you referenced Djokovic, arguably the greatest ever. I'm a Federer guy, but like, you know, there's something about the mental toughness of Djokovic that strikes me. You know, he can be down two sets and to watch this guy come back and rattle off the next three sets, you're like, this guy's getting killed the first two sets. There's something about him.

• 13:52Ed Mylett?

  And I'm curious, as your answer, because you said a god like him, but I think most people would say, talent wise, giftedness wise, you can hit shots that even he can't hit, that you're that type of a level of a physically gifted talented. So like, let's say someone's listening, this is in sales right now, they're just really good at sales, or they're really. But is the separator, do you think, Nick, when it, under pressure, is the love of the game? Like, when you're playing someone like that, what is the difference? He's reached a potential of the most majors ever, and that doesn't seem to have been a priority for you. I'm just curious your insight, like, what is the difference between? You know, your level of love for the game, potentially under pressure and his, do you feel

• 14:37Ed Mylett?

  it when you're playing someone like that? And what are your insights about that? If you're going to give someone the lesson about passion to reach their full potential, what would you say?

• 14:45Speaker 02

  Yeah, well, I mean, look, I mean, we, me and Djokovic, we played on the biggest stage in the world. You know, we played on the center court of Wimbledon, in the biggest, probably most historic and biggest event tennis has to offer. And I feel like the one thing in my, in my experience for that three and a half hours we were on court together was just his, I felt, I almost felt the consistency of his work over the course of his career. I felt like, and I didn't, like, I felt like I actually, like, from a talent standpoint, I was better at it than him at tennis that, that day, but I still lost. And I felt as if he didn't do anything unbelievably well that day. He just was super composed and he

• 15:27Speaker 02

  just, I could feel as if the whole lifetime of his work was, was involved in that match. You know, I won the first set and he didn't seem phased. And as you said, he's been thrown in so many different scenarios, pretty much every different scenario he's been in and he's come out on top. So his experience, he's been in some, like, 30 Grand Slam finals, where that was my first one. And I felt like his ability to stay in the moment and really trust the process of, you know, this, this hot-headed Australian's come out hot, but I've been here before and I've, I'm going to steady the ship and I put the consistent work in. I feel like that for me was the biggest difference. His ability to just stay composed and, and have faith in the body of work that he'd put in for, for two decades. So I feel like that was the biggest separator.

• 16:11Ed Mylett?

  That's exactly why I love this man right there, you guys. What he just did. His level of honesty and frankly humility. It's the thing about you that I didn't see on the surface when I'm like, this dude's cocky, he's up. And then as I've listened to you and some of our friends have told me. Takes great humility to say what you just said, brother, because I know you're a competitor.

• 16:31Speaker 02

  You know, everyone kind of just sees what they see on the court. And I'm definitely, I'll be the first to admit like, I'm psychotic and I have an upset set, like obsessive personality to win and, and, and to win dirty. Like, I don't care. Like, I was just taught in my, when I was upbringing, like, losing was not accepted at all. So it was just like, you either win or you, or you lose. There's no, like, good effort or anything. It's just, so when I'm on court, I'm two different people. I'm, I'm super competitive and I'm, I do twist the boundaries and I may cross the line on the court, but off the court, I don't really, like, I'm like two different people. It's quite scary.

• 17:09Ed Mylett?

  So, hey, guys, as you know, I've partnered up with my good friend Brennan Burchard, who's created the greatest personal development system that has ever been designed called Growth Day. There's everything from journaling to accountability programs, live messages every Monday from myself and other influencers. There's an opportunity for you to get courses that would cost thousands of dollars completely for free. It's incredible. Go to growthday.com/ed and check it out.

• 17:33Ed Mylett?

  This episode is sponsored by Ro. A lot of people assume GLP-1's cost a fortune, and that assumption keeps them from even looking into treatment. Ro helps people find a more affordable path to FDA-approved GLP-1 treatment. Ro wants to help people lose weight. That's why they have more affordable GLP-1 options, whether you're paying with insurance or cash. Ro's free insurance checker makes it easy to see if you're covered for GLP-1 injections. Just submit your insurance card and Ro handles the rest. No paperwork, no waiting on hold, no confusing phone calls. And if insurance doesn't cover treatment, there are still options. Ro offers the lowest-cost, cash-pay FDA-approved GLP-1s, such as daily pills and multi-dose pens. I use products by Ro, and you should too.

• 18:16Ed Mylett?

  Go to ro.co/milet to see if you qualify. That's R-O dot C-O slash Mylett to get started on Ro. For side effects of GLP-1 medications, including boxed warning, go to ro.co/safety. ro.co/safety. So when I, when I ended up buying the island, we had to do all of our outdoor decorating. I spent a fortune in the first half of the place and I'm like, I don't want to do this anymore, but I want the best stuff and that's where Wayfair came in. My wife wanted to get this new garden bed and Wayfair was the place that offered the perfect solution. Wayfair also helps you create a home that stands up to real life with quality products, great value and trusted reviews. Wayfair verified products are hand vetted by product specialists. They use a 10-point quality inspection system. Here's all I can tell you. The stuff has lasted

• 19:00Ed Mylett?

  over time. It looks great and I get compliments on it. Shop thousands of products across every style and budget, whether you're trying to refresh your space for fall or transform your space for Halloween. Use filters, custom photos and reviews to find the right fit for your home. More than 20 million verified five-star reviews, 20 million. So transform your space with the pieces that hold up to real life. Join Wayfair Rewards today and get 5% back on every purchase. Head to wayfair.com or shop the Wayfair app for all things home. That's W A Y F A I R dot com.

• 19:33Speaker 03

  Wayfair, every style, every home.

• 19:37Ed Mylett?

  Do you saying there though, if someone's listening, they're like, I'm gonna get a lesson from a dude who's been at the top, but then maybe not quite reached his maximum potential yet? Is, I want to make sure I understand what you said. Do you think that under pressure at the highest level of business or life, that there's a confidence that came from a dude like him where I've put all this work in behind the scenes and maybe there's a part of you in your case where you're like, I know he has and maybe I didn't. And so under pressure, I mean, and don't, don't let me speak for you, but under pressure, that, that was the confidence separator?

• 20:12Speaker 02

  I definitely, definitely felt that, wow, like a zen.

• 20:20Speaker 02

  Yeah, I mean, I put in the work. Like I was not athletically gifted at all from a young age, like not at all. Like I was overweight and I constantly was felt insecure about, you know, my fitness levels when I was in the academy in Australia and I wasn't able to, you know, pass any fitness test. So I knew that I worked extremely hard to get there. But I think what I was thinking about, like, yeah, I was.

• 20:42Speaker 02

  There was a period in my life in two thousand nineteen where I I was self harming and suicidal and I was partying a lot and I was drinking a lot and um I was also competing at the highest level, you know, against, you know, there was a night where I was out till four AM against Rafael Nadal and it was it was a pretty dark time. So I felt like, for me, it was just a bonus to get to that point, like, to make the final at Wimbledon against Ra- uh against Djokovic was like a bonus. For him, it was just like, I was just another ant, like, in his journey to chase a legacy and be one of the best players to ever live. Where for me, like, getting there was already the bonus. You know what I'm saying? Like,

• 21:20Ed Mylett?

  Yeah.

• 21:21Speaker 02

  Everything after that year was just like, I made it out of that such a dark period of my life that now I'm like, I'm in the finals of Wimbledon. Like, this is what, like, being, getting yourself out of a big mental struggle can can lead to. Where for him, it was just like, he was chasing, like, not every person and every athlete can be like the greatest of all time. That's just not how it works.

• 21:41Ed Mylett?

  You're on the area I want to go. I think this is the part of the interview, everybody, where you share it, what we're about to talk about. Uh, I think this is where Nick helps people in ways that most people don't give him enough credit for, which is, I want to talk about mental health with you and pressure. So I watched that Netflix documentary you're in and I was surprised you did grow up as a chubby kid, right? Because I see this, like, dude that's got swag, you know, he's got, he's got just this cachet about him, Nick does, the way he moves, the way he talks, he comes across as unbelievably self-confident person. And then as I dug into it, I'm like, wow. And by the way, correct me if I'm wrong about the severity of it, but I'd like you to speak to this for a minute.

• 22:18Ed Mylett?

  Um, you actually have struggled with mental health to the extent where, like, you actually had an alcohol and drug thing you think you had going there for a while. Is it true that you actually played in Wimbledon after you had harmed yourself or you had to wear a wrap around your arm in a tennis match because there was some self-harming going on? And what other things have you struggled? Is that accurate, by the way, what I just said, that that is true?

• 22:38Speaker 02

  Yeah, yeah, yeah.

• 22:39Ed Mylett?

  That's amazing to me, bro. That's amazing. And the world did not know that was going on.

• 22:43Speaker 02

  No, not at all. Um, yeah, that was the, that was the main thing I felt like when I was playing. Like at the top of the sport and and I guess living like an athlete should live at that point. No one really expected me to be going through that. So um yeah, it was hard because I was covered, my right arm was covered on like covered with it. And I was playing on center court in Wimbledon against Rafael Nadal. And I was like, I can't go out here with my arm looking like this. So I wore like a sleeve to cover it all up. Um.

• 23:15Speaker 02

  But yeah, like it was just, it was such a hard process because I knew I was how I was feeling internally. And I didn't want to play and I knew that I was struggling. Even just to wake up and and go outside was was a task, but then I had to like. Kind of just. I had the avatar that I had to live up to as well on the other side of it where I had to go out there and play. Um, and it was, it was, it was hard. Yeah, it was really, really hard.

• 23:38Ed Mylett?

  Was there a part of you, brother, that you didn't want to be here anymore, that you were suicidal?

• 23:43Speaker 02

  Oh, definitely, big, big time. Um, I felt like no one. I mean, to this day, you know, people still only really want to talk to me because, you know, Nick Kyrgios, the tennis player, the the crazy guy who does all this crazy stuff, the talented person. And it took me a while to understand that that was just a vehicle and one way of communicating who I am as a person. And then I sit down and they get to meet me and it's it's cool, but I really struggled with the fact that. I felt like my, I was all the time, like ninety five percent of the time wasn't enough. It was like, no one really gave a about who I was, um, and what I had to offer just as a normal human. It was only just about that, that guy that I saw on the court. And, you know, my family started like, you know, we grew up in a, in a pretty quiet area in Canberra.

• 24:25Speaker 02

  You know, we weren't, we weren't rich at all. So it was like, obviously, when I started being successful, my, my family didn't really know how. You know, to, to, to approach things and how to handle things as well. So things got different in my family. And it was just all bit like, it was all just a big curve ball for me. Like, I wasn't ready to handle that type of success in a way and and the fame. So um, I really struggled with it, yeah.

• 24:47Ed Mylett?

  You know, I uh, I'm the blessing that I work with several athletes in different sports. Golf, MMA, boxers, NFL, MLB, I just working with an MLB guy now. And I gotta tell the audience this because Nick is not unique in this, that at the top of everything, even in business, the pressure that comes of that can create or exaggerate mental health issues for a lot of people. It really can. And I, Nick, I'm sure since you've shared this, you privately, we would never say who, but I bet other athletes have told you they've struggled with it as well.

• 25:22Speaker 02

  Yep.

• 25:22Ed Mylett?

  And it comes with, it comes with the pressure of doing something great. So a lot of people listening to this, even if they haven't done that yet, they're down right now. They're, they're, they feel isolated and alone or misunderstood or even invisible, right? What would you say to somebody who's going through a time like that or has a loved one in their life who is going through, which by the way, I think is the majority of people, not the minority of people. I think mental health is a crisis right now in the world today. What, what counsel words would you speak to somebody who's just, they're just not feeling very good right now?

• 25:57Speaker 02

  Yeah, I mean, look, life, life's hard. It's actually is brutal. And I feel like the one thing I did that made it worse was, was block people out and try and do it on my own. I feel like as humans with that, that's not even how we're supposed to function. You know, I think, you know, I blocked out my family. I didn't, I was very short with my, with my good friends that genuinely cared about my wellbeing and I tried to take it alone head on and it was just worse. I just, it was like I was heading into a storm where it was never gonna, the outcome was never gonna be good. And I was in a psych ward in, in London and the, the day before I played Nadal and I was, they wanted me to be admitted, admitted into this place for a couple of weeks. And I was like, I can't, I have to

• 26:39Speaker 02

  play Rafael Nadal in Wimbledon tomorrow. That's how bad it was. And then I proceeded to lose that match. It was very close. I nearly won somehow. And then, you know, I was partying for like three days straight and I was in bed and my dad sat next to me and he was full blown crying saying, I can't see my son like this anymore. Like it was really bad. And then I basically just, oh, you have to wanna fix it. Like, I knew that it was an issue. I knew that I was causing stress on my family, my friends, everyone that cared about me. And I knew that I had to fix my habits. And it started with getting up in the morning, like something small, like going for a walk, like, you know, just like, really break it down into how am I gonna just change? It's not gonna happen overnight.

• 27:21Speaker 02

  It took me, it took me two years to, to reach a level where I wanted to actually wake up early in the morning and go for a walk, like it didn't just happen overnight. But my fixing my relationship with my family, my friends, you know, I've got an incredible partner now who's super supportive of me. And we have a great relationship. Um, and it, it stems like I had, I was in a, my last relationship, my partner was so toxic and that was also feeding into it. Like you just, I can't put enough um emphasis on the closest five people around you have to be incredibly positive and, and want the best out of you. And they might make you feel uncomfortable sometimes in the sense like holding you accountable or like wanting you to improve to a sense of being uncomfortable sometimes. But those are the only people I have around me now.

• 28:04Speaker 02

  And if they see me slipping back into these habits of, of doing some drugs or any of these type of stuff, like every now and then, like they hold me accountable because I know that a personality like me can slip back into these dark habits and, and, and it's not fun, so.

• 28:19Ed Mylett?

  Wow, bro, I'm like blown away. I, this is real, just so you know, when tennis is over, this is your calling. Like, part of what you should be doing is this right here, impacting people's lives. Because I don't know if y'all under, hear what he just said. He says in a psych ward the night before, he's playing Rafael Nadal, like Rafael Nadal, that's insane to me. And so if he can come from where he did and make improvements, and by the way, I think you'd acknowledge this. I, by the way, have struggled with when to quit something. I'm reading, I'm actually, I can't, I can't remember the title of the book, but I'm actually reading a book about right now. It's essentially it's, how do you know when to quit or quitting? And for me, it's physical health. I'm just doing too many things.

• 28:58Ed Mylett?

  That have impacted my my life physically to the point where something has to go away. Right? And this is in my life. I'm being real honest with everybody here today. And that's affected, you know, different areas of my life. I wonder if you've navigated that question like, when is it okay to quit? You know, when is it okay to take a break? And how do you know that? And it's one of the great questions in life, you know, is that we're always climbing for more and more and more. And sometimes I think you have to audit whether your original dream is your dream anymore. You know, and if you're going about it the right way, I'm just curious your thoughts about that. You're smiling.

• 29:39Speaker 02

  I mean, that's, that's, it's just like, I guess that's the common kind of struggle that I guess you've dealt with it. I've dealt with it. And I actually asked, you know, Gary this, Jay Shetty this, Gordon Ramsey, all of these amazingly successful people that have insane work ethics, by the way, like, and I go to them. Do you ever just like, sit back and and actually just pause for a second and see what you've achieved and what you've done? And and none of them like say like, no, they just do it. And then they don't even like have time to appreciate what they do. They just go to the next thing and they do it. And I'm just like, and I sit there internally. I'm like, man, that's just like, when's enough enough as in like,

• 30:22Speaker 02

  you know, you've probably got enough money to be good for for for your future generation. It's just like now, like, but you just, there's something inside you. I'm sure it's the same with you. You just want to like go to, you want to wake up tomorrow and keep going in the gym. Like you want to stay motivated. And I just don't know, like, if work life balance exists. Like, I don't have the answers for this question because it's like, the more successful, the more things I achieve, or the more things I'm able to dabble in. I want to do more. And it's just like, I don't know, it's an addiction. I I'm not sure. I don't have the answers for it. So I can't help you with that one.

• 30:52Ed Mylett?

  Well, I'm addicted to the expansion of my being. I I'm addicted to the expansion of my being. I think. I don't even think you have to have the answer. The reason I asked it to you is I think it's powerful to ask yourself the question though. And just contemplating in your life, you know, is this where I want to be? Is this what I want to continue to do? And I think that's a healthy thing. I think sometimes we think it's a weakness to ask. It's a weakness to inquire. I'm fifty-three years old in a month. I've made, you know, lots of money in my life. I've had the ability to achieve a lot of different things.

• 31:22Speaker 02

  Yep.

• 31:23Ed Mylett?

  There is a point in your life where priorities change. And I, and it's just worth checking in with yourself. Are these still my priorities? I think is the question. It's, it's different for every single person. And I wanted to ask you that today because it's something that I know a lot of people ask themselves. It's true in the relationship they're in. It's true in the business they started. It could be in a sport that they're in. I get asked this by athletes all the time. And you don't want to ever get outside of something and go, man, I could have gotten more out of that. I regret I didn't go a little bit more.

• 31:53Speaker 02

  Yep.

• 31:54Ed Mylett?

  Right? There's a part of that. There's a part of me though, that I've also struggled with. As I've climbed higher and higher, there's been a. I think I just, I'm, I'm the son of an alcoholic. And so I think I've always struggled with a little bit of imposter syndrome. In the sense that I'm sort of. Do you?

• 32:13Speaker 02

  Yeah, just like I never, I never feel like, I never feel like I'd. Like it's very strange for me to even be talking to you or something like I just, I don't feel as if, I don't take myself seriously at all in the sense like I just. Yeah, I feel like every, every time I'm in a room with someone that's, you know, that's ever achieved something great or like, I, I don't feel like I deserve to be there either. I don't know. It's a weird feeling.

• 32:36Ed Mylett?

  What do you think it comes from? Being a heavy kid? Do you think it's how you grew up?

• 32:39Speaker 02

  Yeah, I, I think so. I mean, I, I just. The only reason I ever wanted to start playing tennis and, and become one of the best was just to show that an average person like me, like. An overweight kid that lived in Canberra, Australia was able to go out there and, and beat some of the greatest of all time. That's all I wanted to show. I just wanted to show that an average person, like if you really just put your mind to something, you can, you can do it. That's it.

• 33:01Ed Mylett?

  You think you sabotaged yourself a little bit with that belief, Nick? Like, do you think there's been some sabotaging unconsciously? That took place, whether, whether your preparation or something on the court or just a thought when you're out there, if you're being honest, that. Um, affected your performance based on that imposter syndrome?

• 33:22Speaker 02

  Um, I, I think so. I think if I was a bit more, like honestly, if I was a bit more selfish and I was a bit more like, I guess, more orientated to doing the best for my career, my training and not like helping other people or, or being there for others as much. I definitely feel like I could have had way more success in my career. But that success doesn't outweigh for me the success like yesterday. Two days ago, I had a foundation day in, in my hometown and there was over one thousand two hundred kids in, in my like tennis center that I grew up in. Like for me, that success outweighs the success of winning a grand slam because and, and being more selfish and being more like involved in my own career because one of the best things when I opened up about my self harming and, and my suicidal thoughts was

• 34:07Speaker 02

  the amount of people that message me on social media that I've, you know, got their numbers now, I stay in contact with, I call them. And it's like, that for me has been the most powerful thing in my career. It's not about the trophies. It's about, and that's my point. I think that's the answer of why, when, when are we going to stop? When are we going to quit? I think you shouldn't because of all these things that you're doing and achieving and, and your platform and you're growing, you're being, you're, you're, you're just spreading your awareness of helping others. And I think that is for me. Like, that's what keeps me going, to be honest. Like me being able to show up for two hours at a tennis center and kids are going crazy and gets them to want to be active and play tennis and who cares about if they're good or not? It's if the fact that they feel like they, they mean something for that little period of time.

• 34:50Ed Mylett?

  So you know those pieces in your closet that you find yourself wearing like on repeat all the time? That sweater that kind of just goes with everything or these perfect pair of pants? Those are the pieces that make getting dressed easy and that's what Quince does best. Quince focuses on high quality wardrobe staples with premium materials like a hundred percent Mongolian cashmere, organic cotton. The styles are timeless, versatile and designed to become the dependable pieces you reach for every day. It's what I'm wearing right now. They give you the softness and quality you'd expect from a luxury brand without the price tag. Quince also makes premium pants, fitted tees and polos. And breathable activewear, quality basics designed to work with your wardrobe and hold up to everyday wear. I love their cotton tees. I'm wearing one now and I get a ton of compliments when I wear them on the podcast and when I speak. So find your next fall favorites

• 35:35Ed Mylett?

  at Quince. Download the Quince app for app exclusive offers or go to quince.com/ed for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns. Now available in Canada and the UK too. That's Q U I N C E dot com slash ed. So you know, I've been trying to take my health and my morning routine to the next level. And I used to do a whole bunch of different stuff, tons of different supplements. And then I found all in one in a drink with IM-8. IM-8 is the way to simplify your supplement routine, finally, once and for all. 16 supplements, replaced 90 ingredients across nine major organ systems in one drink. You can have all these supplements for $2.61 a day. I've changed my mornings. The whole IM-8 routine

• 36:18Ed Mylett?

  has changed my mornings. I feel great and I bring energy to the entire day. Go to im8health.com/ed10 right now, or click the link in the description and use code ED10 for a free welcome kit, five free travel sachets, plus 10% off your order. That's code ED10 at im8health.com/ed10. Code ED10 at im8health.com/ed10. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

• 36:52Ed Mylett?

  I had Deion Sanders on a few weeks ago, Coach Prime, and he was talking about a stage of his life where he was suicidal, believe it or not. Maybe the greatest defensive player to ever play football, right? And he was talking about, you know, he had had, he had had everything he wanted. He had a bunch of money. He had, you know, the mansion. He had this success. He had all these things. And he said, and then I just was miserable. And I said, the power in sharing that, and this is a lesson for everybody, as I said, in life, we're most qualified to help the person we used to be. And if you're willing to share, this is who I used to be, or even I'm him sometimes still. But I'm in a, I'm a work in progress. Being willing to reveal your imperfections with people is what really connects you. And to be honest with you, I'm a big fan of Federer.

• 37:36Ed Mylett?

  I'm a big fan. I loved Bjorn Borg when he played and, and you know, I'm a huge tennis fan. But there's something about you and your vulnerability and your authenticity that connects me with you differently. That they're not, you're not Superman. You're a real man.

• 37:53Speaker 02

  No, I'm not. Yeah.

• 37:54Ed Mylett?

  And, and, and to me that you've stumbling on to the greatest part of your life right now, bro. And the other people that are listening to this, if you're willing to be vulnerable and authentic with who you really are, whatever you, whatever you really believe in, whatever you really stand for, whatever your fears are, your weaknesses, your failures, your shortcomings. You're going to find that the more you reveal that, the more you connect with people and the more that you can help them.

• 38:17Speaker 02

  And the more you, you improve as well, like you, you improve, like there's no, like I, I go into places sometimes and I, I, the, the, the person I'm in the room with can be rich, powerful. Whatever, famous, but they're not willing to even just admit where they have flaws and, and I just know like he's stunting the growth of becoming more of, of who he is as a person. And I just like, I love it. Like when I'll be the first, like people think, like I love it. For the first people, people think that I'm like super confident all the time, like whatever, all these great things. And I'm like, right. They're like, that's not me at all. Like I, this is what I'm good at. These are my points where I can improve on.

• 38:52Speaker 02

  And that's how you can, you just said, that's how you connect with people. And that's why, that's why I love doing these things now because I think people are starting to understand that I'm completely different for how, you know, the image has been painted out for so long.

• 39:05Ed Mylett?

  The thing that worries me is when you have somebody who's already struggling with their self-belief. This is, this is you here. I want you to talk about this. So you're already struggling, like when I was coming up in business, I already, my main struggle was working on me. To the point where I believed in myself enough so that I could achieve. I always say that your, your identity, and I've watched this with you, brother. I think you'll relate to this. Your identity, your self-worth, the things you really truly believe about yourself. It's like a thermostat setting on your life. So like in the theater right now, in my studio, it's, it's 72 degrees in here. And what happens in life that if your results start to heat up past what you believe in yourself, so you get 80, 90, 95. You subconsciously turn the air conditioners on of your life and cool it back down to what you believe you're worth.

• 39:50Ed Mylett?

  And I really believe in your case, like this is a man with a hundred and fifty degrees worth of ability and potential. But there's this kid in there still that sometimes is at seventy two and seventy five degrees. And that thermostat setting comes back on. So I spent most of my time working on that. I still work on it. And when you lump on to that person who's already struggling, so it's a lot of people listening to this. They're already struggling with their self belief and then they have criticism. In your case, like flat out haters. So that combination is like, for me coming up, it was the worst possible. I'm already trying to increase my thermostat setting. I'm not one of these naturally confident guys, right? So I'm already working on that. And then you heap on to me some form of criticism.

• 40:35Ed Mylett?

  It was like massively difficult combination for me.

• 40:40Speaker 02

  Yep.

• 40:40Ed Mylett?

  And then in your case, it's public criticism. So how do you, how do you deal with that, brother? Cause you're already struggling internally as this guy is like, man, I'm this heavyset kid. I'm from a regular place. I'm an average dude. Um, and then now there's criticism and haters. Educate us on how you have tried to deal with that and what advice you would give to any human being who's dealing. It might even just be their boyfriend or girlfriend, like you can't do this. What's wrong with you? Why are you trying to change?

• 41:07Speaker 02

  Yeah, it could be family, could be anyone close to you. I mean, like, I don't think my family genuinely believed that I was going to be one of the best tennis players in the world from like, just, I don't think it's realistic. Like they weren't programmed to think like that. And that's why you, myself, we, we do achieve because there's a part of us like, oh, what if, like, what if we do push the boundaries a little bit? What if we do, you know, ask the question? But I mean, this, in this day and age for me is, is very hard because like I'm a bit old school in the sense like social media and all of these things that are happening now, like for me, like, like all, like I wake up and I can go on my Instagram and I see thousands of negative comments and like, I don't really take them personally, but subconsciously they're going into my head and.

• 41:52Speaker 02

  When things get tough, like when I'm about to do this gym session like in here, it's like we go to the point of failure. It's like, I start thinking about, oh, like, am I this, am I this, like, and it beats you down so much. Like, that's what I struggled with in two thousand nineteen. Like, it got to a point where I actually started believing these comments. And then I started hating myself and I was waking up in Shanghai, playing a tournament at like three P M. I played and I would literally was waking up to like alcohol. Like, I wasn't even drinking. Like, it was just to the point of like, I hated myself. And I started just believing all these people. I didn't even know what these people look like, but I started believing the comments. And now I I I have to seriously, like, every day, really invest in just, like, not feeding into and not even trying to read it.

• 42:37Speaker 02

  And just trying to like self-affirmations, like trying to tell myself like, I'm a good dude, like, I'm I I train hard, like, I've really put an effort in that. And people maybe watch this and say like, I'm not gonna do that, but it goes such a long way. But now I I wake up, I try and like, you know, just like have just positive words because words, words are, words can kill, can kill people in this day and age. That's how brutal it is. Like, I've seen people like, like, commit suicide just because of what someone said to them and and and and what they say on social media. And there's all this comparison and it's it's it's really bad.

• 43:13Ed Mylett?

  By the way, I want everyone to hear that. Words can kill people. I could tell you definitively in my work, because of all the messages that I get from different people around the world, that as a fact, please extend more kindness to one another. Please be careful of heaping criticism on to somebody deserving or undeserving. Um, you could be contributing to something so harmful in somebody's life.

• 43:35Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 43:36Ed Mylett?

  Um, and I I I strongly urge everybody just to extend a little bit more grace and a little bit more kindness to people. Brother, your work is profound, what you're doing now. And I'm wondering, in your career, if you look back since you're so honest, is there something particularly that you're proud of?

• 43:56Ed Mylett?

  And is there something particularly that you, you know, you really regret? What's the thing you're really, really proud of? And then what's the thing if you looked back so far that you regret?

• 44:05Speaker 02

  I'm, I'm proud of the way I've been able to provide for my family and, and my friend, like my friends and, and my partner. Like that's for me. I think as a man, that was my main goal. Like when I was young, I watched my family struggle with, with bills. We had no, no money to kind of do anything. Um, and now I'm able to, you know, make them all, you know, enjoy their life. And then there's no stress of that. And, and everyone's just, I think, really happy in my household. And when I take my friends out to dinner, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm very lucky that I'm able to take care of them and my partner lives a great life. So I think for me, that's what I'm most proud of.

• 44:39Speaker 02

  I'm, I'm most proud of that I've taken the pressure off my family. Um, that's like, and I feel like that's what you should be most proud of. Like every, like everyone that's really like out here grinding and, and waking up early and doing this. Like that's the main goal. It's like you're, that, that's what people are hating on, on social media that they probably can't, they're not able to take care of their people like you take care of your people. And that's what, that's what, that's what I've broken it down to. It's like, how can someone call me like any sort of names or, or you didn't achieve this, you didn't do this. It's like, bro, I'm able to take care of my people the best I can, I can do. Like that's so, so sick. Um, and regret, I mean, I've thought about this for so long, like, or things I would do differently and change. But I think the more I

• 45:22Speaker 02

  reflect on it, I don't think I regret anything in my career because I think the person I am today, and as you said, like, I'm thinking I'm trying, transitioning and stepping into the best part of my life now with all my, my hands in different sort of areas and it's not just tennis and it's really exciting and I've waken up with all different types of stimulation. I'm here talking to you and it's just so cool. And I don't think if anything changed prior to this moment, I don't think, I don't know if it would be the same. So I don't think there's time to regret anything. I think like you can say like, oh, maybe that wasn't the right decision and I didn't move in the right direction, but I don't think you would take that away because I've, I've [__] up so many times and I've made the worst decision possible, not even a bad decision, like the worst possible decision in, in, at times.

• 46:06Speaker 02

  Um, and I'm still managed to navigate through all of it and be here and. And you know, have good habits now. And that's what I'm saying. Like, I don't think I regret anything, to be honest.

• 46:17Ed Mylett?

  You, uh, the other thing that people deal with is, um, by the way, what a great conversation. Like, I'm really grateful we're doing this. I'm really, really grateful. All these years I've watched you. And then, um, I introduced you this way, and I mean it. There's a depth and a dimension to you that's really compelling. And, uh, I'm just really impressed with you. The, uh, the other thing that you've had to deal with, that people deal with in different ways. And this is a real thing in life. I did. It's other people's expectations. So like in my case, I went to college and I remember when I decided to become an entrepreneur.

• 46:56Ed Mylett?

  The disappointment kind of on my dad's face initially, like, he loved me, but it was almost like. He was so worried for me, you know, that I had made this particular choice. So it was the expectations, almost like I had disappointed my dad with the choices that I made. And I just, you know, I never wanted to disappoint. It wasn't that my dad was a hater by no means it was. I think in life, sometimes you have to distinguish between people who are genuinely concerned for you, even if they're wrong. And someone who's antagonistic towards you, right? In my dad's case, he wasn't antagonistic. He's my dad. But he was certainly concerned and disappointed. And I remember thinking, man, I've my dad's expectations. I've let him down. I think a lot of people, their spouse has certain expectations, their family has certain expectations.

• 47:40Ed Mylett?

  Their friends are used to them being a particular way. And man, in your case. I don't know. There's been a lot of athletes that had more expectations poured on to them than you.

• 47:49Speaker 02

  Yep.

• 47:50Ed Mylett?

  And that's something really to deal with, to escape that, to navigate that. It's one of the keys to becoming a blissful human being is other people. It's almost like, in your case, I think no matter how much you had won. People would have expected more winning, right? Would he never be enough? So how would, how do you recommend people deal with other people's expectation? And am I right that you had to deal with that?

• 48:13Speaker 02

  I think you just, it just, yeah, you, you never can please anyone. I guess everyone's gonna know this, like. Everyone's gonna have opinions. Like, in my eyes now, I think I've had a really good career. Like, there's only been a couple hundred human beings in, since the beginning of time that have made a Grand Slam final. And like, if I look about the chances of me doing it, it was so slim. And now I've done it. So like, I'm not gonna sit here and talk about achievements and stuff. But I feel like. Yeah, I mean, I wake up still to this day and I haven't achieved enough or curiosity is the biggest waste of talent to ever touch a tennis racket. Like, that's a, that's something that I've literally dealt with every single day for the last fifteen years of my life. Like, since I touched the tennis racket and I was on tour, I continually deal with it.

• 48:56Speaker 02

  So, um, yeah, you just have to go back to the basics and, and think like, am I trying to still move in the right direction? Like, yes, I'm trying to train hard, I'm trying to eat well, I'm trying to maintain a level of lifestyle where I'm even gonna improve. I'm still looking to improve in different areas. Um, and it's just, it's hard because I know that my family wants me to continue to play for a couple more years and, and have a year where I'm competing for Grand Slams. Like, I know that my fans want me to win a Grand Slam, and I know that I'm, if I look myself in the mirror, like, my chances to win a Grand Slam are slim. It's possible, but if I don't win a Grand Slam, I've already had a conversation with myself. I'm okay with that. I know I'm a good person.

• 49:37Speaker 02

  I know that I try my best in, like, helping other people. And if I don't win a Grand Slam, that's fine. I'm not gonna let that define me. But I know that I've already accepted that people are gonna be disappointed. Like, if I don't win one, everyone around me will be disappointed. Um, and it's just, you just have to be okay with it. Like, as long as you're okay with the path you're on, that's all that matters. Because I already know that at the end of my career, there's gonna be a lot of disappointed people.

• 50:06Speaker 01

  This episode is brought to you by Michelob Ultra. Good times mean competitions between you and your friends. Like, seeing who can throw some pigskin the farthest or rush the field the fastest. Winner gets an Ultra. Because it's not just a superior light beer, it's also giving fans superior access to their favorite sporting events. Superior is worth playing for. Visit michelobultra.com/superioraccess to enter. Enjoy responsibly. Copyright 2026 Anheuser Busch InBev Michelob Ultra Beer, St. Louis, Missouri.

• 50:36Ed Mylett?

  That's a really profound thing. You, um, I'm on this thing right now I'm speaking about. And I, I think of certain people when I describe this and you're one of them. I have this theory that the reason, I always say conformity is the, it's, I didn't make this up by the way. I heard it somewhere years ago, but conformity is the ultimate form of cowardice. Meaning conforming to what the world expects you to be, be a particular way. It's sort of a cowardly approach to life. And I think we're taught this as kids, to kind of color within the lines. You know, that was one of the things you're taught in school. And I'm talking a lot about this on stage right now. Color within the lines, don't go outside the lines. That's a bad thing.

• 51:17Ed Mylett?

  And I remember I'm so uncoordinated and I'm left-handed that I could never color like the other kids. I was always outside the lines a little bit. You look at old pictures of me in like kindergarten, like my gosh, it's terrible. And as I've gotten older, I'm like, actually that's one of my great traits. Is I don't color within the lines. I've decided to have a life that doesn't color within the lines like everybody else. And if you think about someone in sports, who has not always colored within the lines. And maybe sometimes to his own detriment, but it's you. I want you to talk about, cause like, do you, are you intentionally that way? You think you were born like, I'm not a conformist. I'm not, a lot of hate comes with it, a lot of criticism comes with it.

• 51:59Ed Mylett?

  But you are really a dude who does not color within the lines in your life. And I think that, I actually think those are usually the people in life we admire. Martin Luther King didn't color within the lines, right? He didn't color within the lines. You think of someone that's a hero of yours, or your person of faith, like they didn't color within the lines. They, they, they went outside of what everybody's expectations or what the norm is. They weren't part of the pack. People in the pack seem to never really accomplish very much in life. So I just wondered your thoughts on that.

• 52:30Speaker 02

  Well, yeah, you asked me, how do I intentionally try to cut it as a line? No. Like, one of my childhood friends, like, we literally grew up since seven years old from my hometown. And he's, I was exactly the same way at that age that I am today. The way I play tennis, I'm on the court, I'm very emotional, I wear my heart on my sleeve, like emotions. Like, I used to cry on court as a little kid, like, when I was losing, like, I was always very emotional on court. And I guess someone like me, I was already against the eight ball, you know, with tennis. Tennis is a very white, old, traditional, like, sport where it's very respectful. It's a gentleman's game. People used to wear vests on court.

• 53:09Speaker 02

  Um, and I feel like if I was thrown into like an NBA sort of, um, team or, you know, we have rugby in, in Australia. Like, I would be probably one of the nicest guys on court. I wouldn't, like, do anything crazy. I'd put a curious would be like, oh, he's like, he's, he's a softie, he's, he's not one to worry about. If I played any else sport, because it's tennis, it's like, oh, this guy is an abomination. Because I walk differently and I dress differently and I speak differently and I wear a red Jordan hat at Wimbledon. It's like, oh, my God, this guy is, he's a criminal. So it's like, um, I guess I was always seen to be a person that really is against the grain, which, which I am. I'm not, I wouldn't say I'm like, I, I, I'm like, I'm, I'm a rule breaker for sure, but I'm not like someone who's crazy, crazy.

• 53:53Speaker 02

  Like, there are people in Australia who will just walk past me and they'll be, their mouth will be on the ground, waiting for me to do something crazy. Like, that's how bad this whole media thing has gotten. I think that I'm a nutcase. Like, they'll just look at me and be like, do something, like, do something crazy. Um, but no, I think me playing tennis and the way I am, that created the kind of thing that I was just like. I wasn't even coloring the page they want me to color. I was doing something else.

• 54:21Ed Mylett?

  I think that's why you can actually make mistakes and not have regrets. I think the regrets at the end of the life is someone who just colored within the lines of the whole time and goes, man, I blew it. I never found out who I was.

• 54:31Speaker 02

  They're scared to take the chance. They're scared to do something that is against the grain because that's where the best things happen in my life. Like nothing, nothing good in my life has actually come and by by like sticking to a plan that someone else gave me. Like I made a decision of doing something crazy um or like doing something spontaneous or instinctively. That's where all my best successes come. And that's, that's just, I don't know if it's a dangerous word of advice for everyone to do it because I think like it doesn't work for everyone too. Some people need to be measured and have a nice plan and have goals. I think that works as well, but for my personality, my best moments have come. Um, just doing things instinctively.

• 55:09Ed Mylett?

  Okay, two more things, last two things. The other thing people don't know about tennis and I watched you uh in that Wimbledon when you ended up in the finals against Djokovic. I just wanted to be in, I, I wanted to ask you this while I was watching it. So the other thing the only people don't know is you have a team in a box that's up there, right? And even in matches that you were winning.

• 55:27Speaker 02

  Yep.

• 55:27Ed Mylett?

  I was watching you sort of like, I thought, at least it looked to me like kind of yelling up there at him a little bit, right?

• 55:33Speaker 02

  Giving him some.

• 55:34Ed Mylett?

  Yeah, I was wondering, is that what you're doing? Are you trying to fire yourself up? Are they, are they giving you instructions that you don't want? Like, because people that usually win have a team. It might not be in their office, maybe somewhere else, but like yours is like right there in the box. You just, you know, you didn't win a, you didn't win a game or you missed a forehand or the backhand.

• 55:52Speaker 02

  Yep.

• 55:52Ed Mylett?

  And I'm watching you and other players seem to be like kind of calm when they're doing that. That's their formula. You look like, were you yelling at them, yelling at yourself? Like what's happening then with you and your team?

• 56:06Speaker 02

  So we, so I mean, I, I'm very, I'm very talkative on the court, like other players, they don't like to talk, they like to get in their zone. But for me, an outlet of pressure is having conversations with people that I know I've put in like a decade of work in and their insight to me is very important. Like I don't always like to. If I'm in the heat of the moment, they might say something from that view that could be worth something to me. So I'll always ask them like, say something to me like, as in like, what you're saying, like, just say, say anything, could be anything to just take my mind off. Well, I could be think I could be missing something. And then like, we have, I mean, look, at times, like, I'm just talking, just an outlet pressure. Like, I'll say something that's not even relevant to tennis,

• 56:48Speaker 02

  and they just look at each other like, why is he talking about that right now? They're like, this guy's got serious mental issues on the court. And then we get off the court, they're like, you're nuts. And I'm like, yeah, no, I'm so sorry. Like, that wasn't even me. I don't even know who that person was. But, um, yeah, these are, these are my, like, my childhood friends, my agent now, like, we went to school together. You know, my physio, my physiotherapist, who have been, you know, working together for almost 11 years, he's in the gym with me every day. Like, these are my people that we've literally, like, created this whole journey with. So like, I, I just want to win so bad, not only for me, but for them too. Like, I want my whole team to. And then ultimately, the better I do, the better that they do as well. So it's like, I just want us all to have success, basically.

• 57:33Ed Mylett?

  I love you. This is so good. Um, so, couple things, guys. Follow Nick on social media. He's also got a new show out that he's doing. What's the name of the show, Nick?

• 57:42Speaker 02

  Good Trouble. It's called Good Trouble.

• 57:43Ed Mylett?

  Good Trouble. Good Trouble. Check that out. He's already had a-

• 57:46Speaker 02

  Fit right in.

• 57:47Ed Mylett?

  Yeah, I'll be on there for you, brother. And he's got a bunch of great guests on there already that he's been telling me about. So go check that out. Last question. I got a friend named Tim Grover. I'm sure you know who Tim is. You work with Jordan and Kobe. And I've had other athletes, and athletes will ask me this. In fact, I just had a UFC guy here last week. And he's like, you know, I'm debating whether to, I'll call it the Evander Holyfield, come into the ring in peace and worship music's playing, and I'm going to leverage the light. That's my motivation, my dream, the light, my vision. Or am I coming in there like Kobe, or, you know, the Black Mama, and I'm going to leverage what Tim calls the dark side, almost like leveraging pain, going to that dark place to win. I'm curious, in your case, what works for you and what you would recommend to other people?

• 58:32Ed Mylett?

  Are you more of a, like, chase the light and the thrill of victory type guy, and the vision, if we win the dream? Or are you, like, kind of leveraging that dark stuff? I'm a fat kid, they don't think I've got this. You know, I'm the guy who always screws off, I'm the guy who doesn't reach his potential, I'll show you, blah, blah, blah. Which one do you leverage?

• 58:49Speaker 02

  I mean, I think I definitely- Get more into a competitive zone if I'm thinking about the dark energy that's been thrown my way. I kind of like, I love proving people wrong and I love, um, you know, spoiling someone's day or, or, or really trying to, you know, play the villain role going out there in front of, you know, I played Roger and I played Rafa, I played Novak and I was always the villain. Like I played them all around the world and I never had the crowd on my side. So I guess I've kind of been thrown into that energy already. I didn't really have a choice. So I had to hone in on like, no one in this stadium wants me to win. Like there's 50,000 people in there all chanting Roger's name and I got goosebumps for him. So I'm like, that I'm going in there and I'm gonna like, I'm gonna be the, I'm

• 59:32Speaker 02

  gonna, I'm gonna, I'm gonna screw this story up. So that's how I am big time.

• 59:36Ed Mylett?

  I got news for you, man. The more people see these interviews, that's going to change. And they're going to be rooting for you.

• 59:41Speaker 02

  I don't want to, I want them, I want them to pretend like that.

• 59:43Ed Mylett?

  I know you don't. I know. You're gonna have a problem because you're too likeable and you're too good of a man. Uh, who's the GOAT? Federer, Djokovic, Borg, Nadal?

• 59:52Speaker 02

  I don't know if you, I don't know if you want me to answer this, bro. It's not, I'm, I'm.

• 59:55Ed Mylett?

  I want you to answer it. I want no, I want the real truth. Who, who is?

• 59:59Speaker 02

  Novak. It's Novak Djokovic.

• 1:00:00Ed Mylett?

  Novak is. Yeah. And you play against all three.

• 1:00:05Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 1:00:05Ed Mylett?

  What's that?

• 1:00:06Speaker 02

  I know that you're a Federer guy, but it's Novak.

• 1:00:09Ed Mylett?

  It is Novak. Okay, everybody. You heard it here first. That's gonna make TMZ Sports for sure right there. But I always wanted, you've been on the court, so you would know. You've played against him. Um, for me, in terms of helping people, you're the new GOAT of tennis because you're contributing to people's lives and I want you to get healthy physically. I know mentally you're improving and growing and I, and I'm here to help you any way I can. When we get offline here, I'm gonna give you my number. And, uh, man, I love you. I'm impressed with you and you made a big difference in people's lives today, bro.

• 1:00:38Speaker 02

  Thank you. We did it together. Appreciate it. Thank you.

• 1:00:40Ed Mylett?

  All right, everybody. God bless you. Max out your life. Share this episode.