This summer, the sports world has talked about mental health more than ever. Let us remember what happened…
“Don’t Play”
I am hours away from playing in the biggest tennis match of my life: the fourth round of the U.S. Open … on Labor Day … on my dad’s birthday … on Arthur Ashe … on CBS … against Roger Federer. I am hours away from playing the greatest player of all time, for a chance at my best-ever result, in my favorite tournament in the world. I am hours away from playing the match that you work for, that you sacrifice for, for an entire career.
And I can’t do it.
I literally can’t do it.
It’s early afternoon; I’m in the transportation car on my way to the courts.
And I am having an anxiety attack.
Actually, I’m having several anxiety attacks — at first, one every 15 minutes or so, but pretty soon every 10. My mind starts spiraling. I’m just freaking out.
My wife is asking me, “What can we do? What can we do? How can we make this better?”
And I tell her the truth: “The only thing that makes me feel better right now … is the idea of not playing this match.”
She hesitates, and looks at me for a second, to make sure I’m serious. I am serious. This isn’t me thinking — this me reacting, feeling, trying to survive. She answers plainly. “Well, then, you shouldn’t play. You don’t have to play. Just … don’t play.”
****
Mardy Fish had won a silver medal in singles at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, later on, he climbed to number 7 in the world rankings and was one of the remarkable tennis players of his time. He wrote the above lines for the Players Tribune shortly before his retirement. In 2012, he began to feel the effects of anxiety disorder, after that, he walked away from tennis and took a three-year hiatus before his farewell to tennis at the 2015 US Open. Indeed, Fish’s story correspond to a time when athletes began to raise their voices about mental health. That was not a weakness and should not be hidden.
There are many stories in the sports history about mental health problems of the athletes, for instance, the depression of Michael Phelps – the most medaled athlete in the Olympic history -, the mental problems of NBA stars Kevin Love Demar Derozan, Serena Williams’ experiences after her birth in 2017 and so on… Those giant athletes, who we are accustomed to seeing with trophies and medals on the glittering podiums, had also human aspects and some problems. Moreover, the fact that they talked openly about the issues that they have experienced was an inspiration for others in a same situation. After all, an athlete could make a difference not only by victories, but also by using her impact area. In the summer of 2021, we have witnessed two more powerful examples of this situation.
