PARIS – Former U.S. Open champion Sloane Stephens wants more talk about mental health to get everyone inside and outside of tennis to talk freely about what’s troubling them.
“Absolutely. I feel like we don’t talk about it enough, she said on Saturday after winning her third round match at Roland Garros. I think this is definitely the top priority for everyone, not just tennis players, but anyone who faces life in general as well. “
Four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka shed light on the mental health issue when she pulled out of the French Open on Monday and spoke of struggling to cope with “huge waves of anxiety”.
Players can be far too quiet, noted Stephens, 28, when what they really need is to feel like they can open up to others.
“I have the impression that a lot of players on the circuit are suffering in silence. I think it’s neither cool nor fair and we should definitely approach it differently, she added. The more support the better. I think not only for us girls we support each other but that the circuit can support us in different ways is super helpful. “
Stephens, an American who won the U.S. Open in 2017 and a finalist at Roland Garros in 2018, said the rivals really need each other to deal with the situation off the pitch.
“As competitors and colleagues I think it’s important to support each other because, honestly, on the go every week, we’re really all we have for each other,” he said. she still said. These are the same faces we see all the time. I think it’s super important to be able to help each other, to get through the ups and downs, because obviously tennis is super emotional. “
Osaka’s decision to withdraw from Roland Garros has been hailed for its courage by some, but has also sparked some hostility on social media.
The proliferation of often explicit and offensive reviews on social media has also had an impact on people’s mental health.
“Obviously we live in a world where there is the Internet? all of these things creep into your mind, ”Stephens noted.
The psychological effects of the coronavirus pandemic, during which many people were isolated for long months, have heightened the need for more communication.
“It’s really important to be able to talk to people, to talk to someone about how you feel, what you are going through. It’s not easy to pretend everything is fine when it isn’t. “
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