Click here to stay informed and subscribe to Herald-Dispatch.
Click #isupportlocal for more information on supporting our local journalists.
Learn more about HD Media
LONDON Ƶ When opened up about her at the 2021 French Open, it sparked a conversation in sports Ƶ and society at large Ƶ about mental health and the importance of addressing such issues.
In the time since, more and more players have spoken about the topic and seeking help, and whatever taboos there were seem to have faded. Still, the way discussed his state of mind after a first-round exit at this week revived the conversation.
ƵI feel very alone out there at times. I struggle mentally. ... IƵm trying to find ways to kind of get out of this hole. I keep kind of finding myself back in it in a way,Ƶ said Zverev, who was the runner-up at the Australian Open in January but then went through a rough stretch of results this season when he had a chance to overtake Jannik Sinner at No. 1 in the rankings.
ƵI feel, generally speaking, quite alone in life at the moment, which is a feeling that is not very nice,Ƶ Zverev said. ƵItƵs not a feeling on a tennis court, itƵs just a life feeling in general.Ƶ
Players at the All England Club were asked Wednesday about ZverevƵs words.
They could empathize, some said.
Others offered advice.
Amanda Anisimova was a French Open semifinalist as a teen in 2019, then announced two years ago she was taking time off . SheƵs been back for a while now and reached the third round at Wimbledon with a victory Wednesday.
ƵItƵs definitely tricky. Each and every one of us goes through something at some point in our lives. We have our bouts of negative times. It honestly takes some self-reflecting, figuring out whatƵs going wrong or how can I create a lifestyle that I enjoy. I feel like there are so many factors. For me, personally, it was finding people that I could confide in and I trusted. People that I could talk to,Ƶ Anisimova said.
ƵWhat Alex said about feeling lonely ... a lot of people struggle with being lonely, especially on the pro circuit,Ƶ she said, adding that taking a break from tour life Ƶreally helped me and IƵm happy I did that, because I came back with a new perspective, felt refreshed, and I feel like I learned a lot about myself.Ƶ
Top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka, who owns three major trophies, said that she worked with a therapist for five years.
ƵItƵs really important to talk openly about whatever youƵre dealing with. ... ItƵs really important to be open and to talk about what are you experiencing, because if youƵre going to keep it inside, itƵs just going to destroy you. I think thatƵs kind of like something happening to him,Ƶ Sabalenka said. ƵI think (Zverev) just needs to open up to whoever is close to him.Ƶ
At the Australian Open, title winner addressed and the ways in which it both allowed her to be happier, in general, and more successful at tennis Ƶ a sport in which losses are frequent and expectations can be a burden.
ƵOur identity becomes very wrapped up in being a tennis player. ThatƵs great, but when you have the tough kind of weeks, months, years on tour, that can really take a toll on how you think about yourself as a person,Ƶ Keys, a 30-year-old American, said Wednesday.
ƵSo being able to kind of dive into that and figure out how to separate the two and know that youƵre not just a tennis player, youƵre a full person that has all of these other really great attributes and other interests and just different things in your life.Ƶ
When a reporter asked the No. 3-seeded Zverev after his loss to unseeded Arthur Rinderknech on Tuesday whether he might consider trying therapy, the 28-year-old German replied: ƵFor the first time in my life, IƵll probably need it.Ƶ
This is how he described his current mindset: ƵIƵve never felt this empty before. Just lacking joy, just lacking joy in everything that I do. ItƵs not necessarily about tennis. Just lacking joy outside of tennis, as well.Ƶ
Andrey Rublev, a 10-time Slam quarterfinalist from Russia who is seeded 14th at Wimbledon, said after his win Wednesday that life on tour, in and of itself, is not the problem for someone like Zverev.
ƵTennis is just the trigger point,Ƶ Rublev said. ƵItƵs something inside of you that you need to face.Ƶ
Copyright 2025 The Ƶsociated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd,
racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another
person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone
or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism
that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on
each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness
accounts, the history behind an article.
Sorry, an error occurred.
Already Subscribed!
Cancel anytime
Thank you .
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account.
No promotional rates found.
Secure & Encrypted
Thank you.
Your gift purchase was successful! Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
| Rate: | |
| Begins: | |
| Transaction ID: |
A receipt was sent to your email.
