Among the first tennis players to talk about the importance of mental health, Naomi Osaka and Amanda Anisimova have struck a chord with former player Patrick McEnroe. John McEnroe’s brother recently lauded current players for spreading awareness about mental well-being.
Several athletes have opened up about their struggles in the last five years, especially since Osaka withdrew from the 2021 French Open, citing ‘depression’ and ‘anxiety.’ The four-time Grand Slam winner, who refused to attend press conferences after her matches at Roland Garros, had stepped away from tennis for a while.
Similarly, a 21-year-old Amanda Anisimova announced in May 2023 that she was taking a break to focus on her mental health.
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Speaking on The Daily Show, Patrick McEnroe recently pointed out that in tennis, most players lose more than they win. The former World No. 28 reminded everyone that he managed only one singles title in his decade-long career.
The 59-year-old also claimed that till a few years ago, talking about mental health was seen as a weakness.
"There's a lot of pressure in tennis, with it being such an individual sport, you can't escape it. The point is that you lose a lot in tennis, so you have to deal with it. I am really glad that players like Naomi Osaka and Amanda Anisimova are talking about mental health. It used to be that if you talked about it, 'Hey, you're a wuss,'" Patrick said (via The Daily Show's Instagram account).
"You don't talk about the fact that you're struggling mentally. That shows that you're not tough. So those things have always happened. But I think it's really healthy that the players are not shy about discussing it. I think Amanda is a perfect example of someone who dealt with it, confronted it head-on, and then it made her a better person and a better player," he added.
Some other players who have spoken about mental health over the past few years are Aryna Sabalenka, Alexander Zverev, Matteo Berrettini, Madison Keys, and Andrey Rublev.
Why did Amanda Anisimova step away in 2023, and what difference did it make?
Amanda Anisimova turned pro in 2016, and by 2022, the youngster ran out of steam due to hectic scheduling and homesickness. The American's biggest setback came in 2019 when her father, Konstantin, died of a heart attack days before she turned 18.
In May 2023, Anisimova revealed that she was taking a break for the sake of her mental well-being. She wrote in an Instagram post:
"I've really been struggling with my mental health and burnout since the summer of 2022. It's become unbearable being at tennis tournaments. At this point my priority is my mental well-being and taking a break for some time. I've worked as hard as I could to push through it."
After her return in 2024, Anisimova reached her maiden WTA 1000 final at the Canadian Open, where she lost to compatriot Jessica Pegula in three sets. In February this year, she downed Jelena Ostapenko in the Qatar Open final to win her maiden 1000 title.
Amanda Anisimova reached consecutive Grand Slam finals at Wimbledon and the US Open, where she lost to Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka, respectively.
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