Nick Kyrgios says not sleeping much after mother allegedly held at gunpoint

"Last couple days has been rough ... haven't slept much and battling a little," Kyrgios wrote on Instagram.

Australian tennis player Nick Kyrgios in Melbourne, Australia on Jan. 13, 2023. On the eve of the Australian Open, the electric, sometimes eccentric tennis star, has become the sport’s biggest draw but also its riskiest pitchman. (Alana Holmberg/The New York Times)

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Nick Kyrgios said he had not slept much this week and was “battling a little” after police accused a man of threatening the player’s mother with a firearm and allegedly stealing a Tesla car from her.

A 32-year-old Canberra suspect appeared in ACT Magistrates Court on Tuesday to face several charges, including aggravated robbery and driving a stolen motor vehicle. He was denied bail, local media reported, citing court documents.

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) has said the man pointed a long-barrelled gun at Kyrgios’s mother Norlaila and demanded the keys to the green Tesla.

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“Last couple days has been rough … haven’t slept much and battling a little,” Kyrgios wrote on Instagram. “Appreciative of all the support.”

In a statement on Thursday, ACT Police said they had seized a shotgun they believed was used in the incident as well as two other firearms.

“On the afternoon of Tuesday … police executed a search warrant at a residence in Gilmore and located a shotgun, believed to be the firearm used during the robbery,” the statement said.

World number 26 Kyrgios is yet to make his 2023 season debut after having knee surgery following his withdrawal from the Australian Open in January.