In tennis, ‘love’ might mean zero, but players like Paula Badosa are always only spreading the love, by supporting their peers. The resilient Spaniard was among the first top players to speak out about struggles with anxiety and depression, alongside Nick Kyrgios, Naomi Osaka, and Maria Sakkari. “I have never been ashamed to say this: I’ve had mental health issues,” the WTA No. 11 previously said while talking to Caroline Garcia on the Tennis Insider Club podcast. And, now when Andrey Rubelv has opened up about his mental health struggles, Badosa is there again with all the empathy in the world for the Russian ace.

Rublev, currently in Dubai for the Middle East swing of the ATP tour, recently opened up about his tough times dealing with depression. Ahead of his match against Quentin Halys, the 27-year-old shared, “I was just kind of in a loop, lost with myself for a couple of years, not finding the way, not understanding what to do, what for? It sounds a bit dramatic, like what’s the reason or purpose to live?” Despite having achieved a career-high rank of No.5 in 2021, Rublev felt mentally “out of order” and lost.

The Russian revealed he was on antidepressants for a year before realizing they weren’t working. However, a conversation with former world No. 1 Marat Safin helped him find his footing. Rublev noted, “I’m just neutral, not happy, not bad, but at least I found the base, and that’s like a beginning.” And, Badosa responded with a supportive message on X: “So much respect for you @AndreyRublev97 Listening to all this really moves me and I know how much pain it is. This will only make you stronger at the end of the day. I’m glad you’re feeling better. ❤️‍🩹 thanks for speaking up.”

Badosa’s vocal support for Rublev is no surprise, given her history of openness about her own mental health journey. She spoke about her struggles with anxiety and depression in Netflix’s ‘Break Point’ in 2023.

Paula Badosa shares her struggles with mental health

Badosa’s journey is a testament to her resilience. She candidly shared her struggles with depression, aggravated by the pressure of being dubbed the next Maria Sharapova. “I’ve been struggling for years with a lot of depression,” she said on Netflix’s ‘Break Point’. “People were talking about me like I was the next big thing, the next Maria Sharapova. I felt like, ‘Wow, now I have to be a legend. Maybe next year, I have to be a Top 10 player.’ So, for me, it was a lot of pressure.”

Badosa’s recovery involved seeking professional help and leaning on her support system. She noted, “It was very tough for me because I didn’t know what to do in that moment. Life didn’t have a lot of sense because ever since I was seven years old, my dream was to be a professional tennis player. It was very bad. I didn’t want to go on a tennis court. I started to try to find solutions to work on it, with mental health professionals.”

The Spaniard believes speaking out is crucial. Additionally, she emphasizes the importance of maturity and mental adaptation in handling tour pressures. “As I always say, your brain is not prepared to handle all these kinds of things when you’re 18, 19, not even 25. You may be ready for that when you’re 40, but for tennis, it’s too late. The process of maturity is like super fast, and I think that’s why in my case, I’m never ashamed to say it. I went through depression and went through mental health problems,” she added.

Currently ranked No. 11, Badosa’s positive energy suggests she’s ready to make another push to the top. Her support for fellow players like Andrey Rublev is a testament to the fact that she is a champion not just on the court, but off it as well.