Roger Federer, after his retirement, spoke about how players were labeled as weak if they talked about mental health. This is when he started his career. But all the young players of this generation are voicing out their concerns and even taking a mental health break when needed.  The best in the player comes out only if both physical and mental health are taken care of.

Players like Naomi Osaka, Sloane Stephens, and Iga Swiatek have always been vocal about the issues and advocated mental health every chance they got. Recently, Aryna Sabalenka shared her struggles on the second season of Netflix’s ‘Break Point’. She spoke about the moments she hit rock bottom and what made her shine bright again.

Aryna Sabalenka felt like ending it all

In the show, Sabalenka opened up about her struggles, how she felt during the matches, and her mental health issues. Though the episodes were not released, the promo has offered glimpses of her struggle. The Belarusian player shared her difficulties with her team and expressed her will to quit. 

The 25-year-old spoke in Russian with their team, saying, “Don’t tell me not to worry. Now everyone is watching me f***ing losing it. I just don’t want to play tennis anymore. End of. It’s all telling me I should quit.” She was dejected when she lost matches, which compelled her to move away from the world of Tennis.

Sabalenka even had to skip a post-match press conference after her fourth-round win in the 2022 French Open. There was a war going on between Russia and Ukraine starting in February 2022. Being a Ukrainian, Sabalenka could not face the press stating they made her feel ‘unsafe.’ 

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The reason behind her resilience and will to play

The year 2020 changed the whole world and everyone in it. But for Sabalenka, struggle barged in even before the global pandemic. She lost her father in January 2020 when he was just 43. This shattered her world as the two dreamt of achieving glory in Tennis together.

The second seed was then a 12th seed, and her father wanted to see her as number one in the world. She did achieve the second seed and is determined to do more for her father.  Sabalenka could not hold her tears back while talking about her father and career.

Speaking about the same, the Australian Open champion said, “Honestly, I thought that I was going to stop playing tennis because it was so bad. But it was our dream with my dad, and I was like, ‘I cannot quit. He wouldn’t accept this.’ He would say like, ‘You f***ing kidding me? You’re going to be tough, like a champion.’ And I was like, ‘No, I have to keep going. I just have to.’”

Though 2023 Roland Garros disappointed her, she took a break from tennis and turned on vacation mode. She is preparing herself for Wimbledon and has a fairly high chance of winning, given her fierce motivation after her exit from the 2023 Roland Garros. 

WATCH THIS STORY: Heartbroken By Her Shattered French Open Dream, Belarusian Beauty Aryna Sabalenka Takes Boyfriend’s Help To Recover From The Controversy Riddled Experience