“You’re going out there and it’s a funny balance between sport and entertainment,” Former Wimbledon champion Pat Cash once said about tennis. He tried to convey how it’s kind of a “gladiatorial sport.” How, you ask? Just like any other sport, it has its pros, giving athletes huge fame and success when they shine on with their performance. On the flipside, though, it can also take a toll on them, mentally, in the most extreme way possible. Ask Andrey Rublev, who has time and again reiterated how defeats make him mentally furious with himself. Remember his reaction from last season’s Paris Masters in October? Well, his sentiments are understood, certainly in the inner circles of the tennis community.

Rublev smashing his racket on his knee during the first-round encounter against Francisco Cerundolo was a painful sight for any tennis lover. His frustration was fueled by his consistent failures in the last year or so. He won his last ATP title back in May 2024 at the Swedish Open. But then he struggled to perform well, until the Qatar Open happened this year. His Australian Open run was short-lived, after losing to a teenager and 18-year-old sensation Joao Fonseca. He then lost in the semis of Open 13 in Montpellier as well. But the drought finally ended in Doha.

After defeating Jack Draper in the title clash in Doha, with a score line of 7-5, 5-7, 6-1, Rublev revealed, “In some moments, I was really good mentally and didn’t let frustration get over me. As soon as I was frustrated, I was able to restart again, and I was able to play at the same intensity. That’s the most important thing.” See, that’s the paradox of this sport, and with any other sport for that matter. It might push you down at times, but it also offers a chance to redeem.

That’s the exact sentiment conveyed through a viral ‘love letter to athletes’ on Instagram. Who has written it, though? We will talk about that in a bit, but it has been shared by none other than the newly crowned ATX Open champion Jessica Pegula, who put it up on her Instagram story, showing her support for her fellow players on the tour.

Before winning in Austin last week, the World No.4 herself went through a lot of struggles. Back in January, she lost in the final of Adelaide International against compatriot Madison Keys. In Melbourne, she crashed out in the third round. Then in Doha and Dubai, she couldn’t move past the QF and second round, respectively. Last week, in the final match of the ATX Open, however, Pegula beat compatriot McCartney Kessler to win her seventh WTA singles title. But what’s this love letter about?

On March 1, Sean Einhaus, who’s a mental performance coach for athletes, wrote a letter. “With Respect 🙏🏾” He tried to convey his message through multiple slides. The crux of it all? Have a look at this excerpt shared by Jessica Pegula. It reflects on the harsh reality of sports in general. It reads:

“But they don’t tell you how hard it is to keep the game a game. They don’t tell you how lonely this journey can be. They don’t tell you how ruthless you’ll be to yourself when things don’t go well. They don’t tell you how the game will consume every part of you. How the line between work and life disappears— because life becomes work.”

Two years ago, Team Great Britain’s psychology support team member, Katie Mobed, touched upon this aspect. In an interaction with Sky Sports, dated July 13, 2023, she revealed, “It might look like a glamorous lifestyle and there are aspects of it that are very privileged for tennis players, and they will speak openly about that. But the challenge is in terms of being away from home so much, and being away from loved ones and your support network and people you feel connected to.”

Per Mobed, tennis players have to “embrace failure on the path to success”. And they need to “stay committed and stay confident” even while failing consistently. Even former great and 8-time Slam king Andre Agassi wrote about the ‘dark side’ of the racket sport a long time ago.

When ATP legend Andre Agassi revealed the harsh side of tennis

In his 2009 autobiography ‘Open’, Andre Agassi mentioned how “tennis players look like lunatics in a public square, ranting and swearing and conducting Lincoln-Douglas debates with their alter egos.” But why? “Because tennis is so damned lonely. Only boxers can understand the loneliness of tennis players—and yet boxers have their Corner men and managers.”

He further added, “Even a boxer’s opponent provides a kind of companionship, someone he can grapple with and grunt at. In tennis, you stand face-to-face with the enemy, trade blows with him, but never touch him or talk to him, or anyone else.”

Two years ago, another ATP pro reflected on a similar sentiment publicly. Remember Felix Auger-Aliassime’s confession from 2023? He, too, had a lot to express on his ‘love-hate’ relationship with tennis. He shared a video clip on his IG account, dated February 22, where he talked about how tennis affected him mentally. “Well, sometimes it’s hard to love you. It’s kind of a love-hate relationship in a way, because you challenge me and you challenge all players to push themselves to be better all the time and to accept losses.”

However, he also mentioned how failures eventually play a role in making a comeback. “I think setbacks, doubting yourself at times too, that’s the tough part about it. But at the end, it all makes sense when you learn from those times. And it makes sense because you learn a lot about yourself and you improve as a person.”

Auger-Aiassime couldn’t move past the QF stage in the 2022 Australian Open but made a return to form in the next event. After losing to Daniil Medvedev down under, he went to Rotterdam. There, he eventually clinched the trophy. In the final clash, the Canadian beat Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-4, 6-2. The victory was extra special because prior to that, he had lost eight ATP finals on the trot. Sharing his thoughts on this experience, Felix said, “Just everything clicked (in Rotterdam). That was probably one of the best feelings I’ve felt on a tennis court.”

Getting back to the crux anyway, is tennis really a sport that adversely affects players at times? or is it the case with all the professional sports in general? What are your thoughts?