- Ex-Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanisevic has spoken out
- Novak Djokovic has echoed concerns, blames social media
Tennis great Goran Ivanisevic has spoken out about tennis stars’ troubling reliance on antidepressants, claiming mental health issues in the game are so widespread and serious that ‘everyone’ is on the medication.
Ivanisevic, a former Wimbledon singles champion who now coaches Stefanos Tsitsipas, has lifted the lid on the mounting psychological pressures he sees elite athletes facing.
His comments come in the wake of Alexander Zverev’s recent admission about his mental struggles where he described himself as empty, joyless and needing therapy as he crashed out of Wimbledon.
‘When I listen to players, everyone’s on antidepressants, Zverev says he’s in a bad place,’ Ivanisevic told Clay magazine.
‘I don’t know why they [the players] put so much pressure on themselves. Maybe it’s outside expectations, society’s expectations – they can’t handle it.’
Tennis icon Novak Djokovic believes social media is to blame for a lot of the problems facing athletes today.
Tennis legend Goran Ivanisevic (pictured) has spoken about tennis stars using antidepressants due to what he sees as a mental health crisis facing professional players
Ivanisevic’s comments come after Alexander Zverev (pictured) described himself as empty, joyless and needing therapy as he crashed out of Wimbledon
‘Social media is extremely present and largely dictates the mood and daily rhythm of an athlete – especially young ones, but older ones too,’ he told Sportklub.
‘Everyone is on social media, and you can get lost there, get too attached to comments, to what someone types on a keyboard or phone… and that hurts.
‘It’s not trivial. That’s something we need to talk about seriously.’
The 38-year-old star also spoke of the pressure of social media on young athletes.
‘Kids are pushed too early into strict professionalism before they’ve developed emotional intelligence, which is part of psychological preparation for life,’ he said.
‘If a player gets a bit lost in that, it can strongly affect their psyche and how they live their life.’
Zverev’s brave admission following being knocked out in the first round has revived the conversation around mental health in tennis.
‘I feel very alone out there at times,’ he said.
Novak Djokovic (pictured) says social media is a serious issue that’s hurting many of today’s stars
‘I struggle mentally … I’m trying to find ways to kind of get out of this hole. I keep kind of finding myself back in it in a way.
‘I feel, generally speaking, quite alone in life at the moment, which is a feeling that is not very nice.
‘It’s not a feeling on a tennis court, it’s just a life feeling in general.’
