Leading tennis players have rallied behind Alexander Zverev after the world number three player revealed mental health problems in the wake of a first round exit at Wimbledon.
Zverev was beaten by Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech on Tuesday and then told reporters that he may consider seeking professional help.
“I’ve never felt this empty before. Just lacking joy, just lacking joy in everything that I do. It’s not necessarily about tennis. Just lacking joy outside of tennis, as well,” he said.
Women’s world number one Aryna Sabalenka said it was “crazy” to hear this from someone like Zverev “because he is surrounded by his family.
Sabalenka said that she worked with a therapist for five years which was not longer necessary because she can open up to the members of her team.
“They accept it,” she said. “It is really important to speak openly about everything that is on your mind. I think that is the best advice I can give.”
Australian Open winner Madison Keys said she had worked with a sports psychologist which she named “unbelievably helpful” but also too much centred on tennis.
She said that you only identify as a tennis player from early age onwards, and that “it can take a toll on how you think of yourself as a person” during difficult periods on the tour.
Russia’s Andrey Rublev, who has said he used to suffer from anxiety and had taken medication for depression, suggested that tennis was only the trigger for deeper-lying problems.
“There is something inside you that you have to face up to. Those who love tennis are triggered by tennis. If you tell Sascha (Zverev) to take a break, it will be very difficult for him,” Rublev said.