THE issue of mental health reared up again last week during the ongoing Wimbledon Grand Slam tennis tournament. The prestigious event, held on pristine grass courts in England, is perhaps the most revered of the four Grand Slam meets, which include the Australian, French, and US championships. Most players put Wimbledon at the top of the list.
Competing for the coveted trophy places more than the usual stress on players, especially the top seeds (ranked), who have to live up to the expectations of fans, family, friends, their coaching team and, of course, their desire to succeed. Lower-ranked players feel less of this pressure, having nothing to prove and a great deal to gain if they do well and also manage to knock a top seed out of the competition.
This is exactly what happened to German, Alexander Zverev, ranked number three and considered likely to advance deep into the tournament. In a first-round match, where he put in a low par performance, far from his usual aggressive, hard-serving style, he suffered a shock defeat at the hands of France’s Arthur Rinderknech, ranked number 42 in the world.
In a post-match interview, when asked if his defeat was a result of physical or mental issues, Zverev responded that it was “more mental” and confessed to feeling “very alone” during this tournament. These feelings of isolation have plagued him since earlier in the year, following the Australian Grand Slam. ” I struggle mentally, I’ve been saying this since after the Australian Open.”
He referred to his condition as finding himself “in a hole,” trying to get out and slipping back. “I feel generally speaking, quite alone in life at the moment,” the tennis star confessed.
In fact, it was clear during the interview that Zverev found it difficult to even articulate his feelings, punctuating his statements with “I don’t know,” while declaring he found no joy outside of tennis. “I have never felt this way before. I don’t know…I just feel very alone and very lonely, I don’t know.”
But the tennis star is not alone with this kind of mental health challenge, which stems from the pressure of high-performance sport, particularly of the individual kind, as in tennis. Three years ago, tennis champ Naomi Osaka spoke of mental health challenges and has only recently returned to the sport after stepping away. World-acclaimed gymnast, Simone Biles, did the same thing, seeking counselling, which Zverev says, for the first time in his life, he may also have to do.
Novak Djokovic, another tennis great, heralded as the G.O.A.T. of the sport, responded with empathy when he heard of Zverev’s problems, advising that the German may indeed have to take some time away from the sport. Djokovic, a 24 Grand Slam winner, is familiar with all the pressures of maintaining high-level performances. He has developed, over the years, his own strategy for retaining mental resilience. He once said in an interview that “conscious breathing” was a part of it, pointing out that remaining strong mentally entails a lot of “hard work.”
He has invited Zverev to seek him out should he need to talk things over. “He knows he can always count on me,” said Djokovic, “I understand what he’s going through because I’ve been in that place more than once…that emptiness, that lack of joy or fulfillment on the court, I’ve felt it. If he needs me, I’m here.”
Other tennis stars have sent words of support, admitting to their own struggles and Djokovic, who said he admires those who have dared to speak out, is calling for the tennis authorities to pay closer attention to the mental health of players.
“Mental health has not received the attention it deserves in tennis,” he said, “but it should.”

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