Nick Kyrgios' mother has opened up about how her psychologist pushed her to overcome her fears and travel to watch her son compete at the Australian Open - and the touching message he sent her after he was forced to withdraw.

The Australian star, who is seriously ill with failing kidneys, has previously revealed that seeing the 27-year-old's matches put her in such a bad place mentally that she had to seek professional help.

'I haven't watched him play for a while, actually. I can't expose myself to that anxiety' she said.

'I go into a really strange panic ... It actually got to a stage where I sought help. I was seeing a psychologist for six months. I was not in a good place. My anxiety level watching Nick was so high.'

Nill's psychologist has convinced her that she should travel to Melbourne to watch her son play in order to overcome her fears.

Unfortunately, Nick had to withdraw from his home grand slam on Monday afternoon, revealing he'd suffered a partially torn meniscus and had a cyst in his knee.

'That's fine,' she told the Herald. 'I had to still come. My psychologist says I have to watch him. Otherwise I'll never be able to sit there and watch him ever again. You have to face your fears. That's what they say.

'He messaged this morning and said, "I love you, Mama". I didn't want to message him yesterday because I knew his phone would be on fire. I left him to his own devices. 

'It was nice of him to message me. He knows that I'm just a bit worried about him.'

Kyrgios is very close with his family - including brother Christos, sister Halimah and father Giorgos - and has previously revealed he didn't know how long he had left in tennis as he grappled with the desire to spend more time with them.

He announced he would be skipping last year's Laver Cup on social media to be by their side.

At the 2021  Laver Cup, Kyrgios admitted there was one thing more important than a long career on the court: family.

'This is my probably my last Laver Cup. I don't know how much longer I will be in tennis,' he said at the time.

'My mum is not doing too well with her health. I'd like to go back and see her.'