He refuses to employ a coach, has a shopping list of on-court behavioural offences and has previously favoured the drink over actually playing tennis - yet Australian firebrand Nick Kyrgios reckons he hasn't been selfish enough to realise his potential on the court. 

As the 2021 Wimbledon finalist prepares to another tilt at the Australian Open at Melbourne Park, Kyrgios opened up to The Times about fame, its impact on his mental health and why he believes a maiden grand slam has eluded him to date.

The 27-year-old was tipped for a huge career when he exploded onto the scene in 2014 to beat Rafael Nadal at Wimbledon when he was just 19 years old.

What has followed since has been an enthralling career of meltdowns - Kyrgios has been fined an estimated $800,000 - incidents of tanking or deliberately playing to lose - not to mention some at times hilarious tirades at players, officials and fans including comedian Ben Stiller.

His manager and best friend Daniel Horsfall admits that at the height of Kyrgios' binge drinking, he had to use a phone tracking app to locate the wayward star, who was passed out at a stranger's house more than 50km away.

Yet still, Kyrgios believes he needed to be even more self-centred in those years if he wanted to lift a grand slam trophy. 

'If I was a bit more selfish in my career I think I probably would've had a more successful career. I probably would've been competing with grand slams,' he said.

Puzzled tennis fans will need a better explanation to understand how Kyrgios could possibly have reached that conclusion.

Firstly, Kyrgios doesn't believe his behaviour on court is quite what 'the media' makes it out to be, despite the record fines he has received.

'It's emotional, definitely, but I think more often than not I stay pretty level-headed,' he said. 

'Ninety-nine per cent of it was even-keeled competing, showing what fighting spirit, discipline and hard work is, but then people who don't watch tennis are only seeing a 30-second snippet. That doesn't seem very fair.' 

During Kyrgios' lowest ebb he believes he was generous in terms of giving his time and attention to loved ones, but he failed to look after himself. 

The messaging he received was to push through for others, not seek the help he desperately needed.  

'I didn't really have anyone to open up to and every time I did it was, like, "Oh, you've just got to push through it," ' he said.

'It was this constant pushing through and being so misunderstood. Now I don't try to be anything that I'm not, whereas back then I really tried hard to stay in the lane that they wanted to put me in.'

Part of the new 'selfish' Kyrgios approach has been brushing Australian team events and refusing to pay for a coach because he knows his own game and will work on things he believes need focus.

His relationship with Instagram influencer Costeen Hatzi has also helped centre him. 

The result was his best year on tour in 2022. 

Reaching the Wimbledon final was a huge turning point in Kyrgios' career and he also won the doubles at the Australian Open with Thanasi Kokkinakis and both doubles and singles at the Citi Open in Washington

So now, as the more selfish Kyrgios enters the 2023 Australian Open with perhaps his best change of winning it to date, does that selfishness extend to a sex ban? 

'Oh, jeez no,' he said.

But it will include plenty more self-reflection and attention to give himself the best possible shot. 

'Tennis is probably the hardest sport — it's not just over a week to win a grand slam, it's 14 days of enormous pressure and discipline and diligence,' he said.

'Mentally, after a big week and after all the media, the spotlight, my anxiety, it just never ends in your head.'