Amanda Anisimova
American tennis star Amanda Anisimova has taken an indefinite break from Tennis citing mental health issues – Chris Evert voices support.
Chris Evert has publicly voiced her support for WTA star Amanda Anisimova after the youngster announced that she will be taking a break from professional tennis to focus on mental health.
Anisimova made her debut on the WTA circuit in 2016 and she has grown by leaps and bounds since then, achieving a career-best ranking of World No.21 in 2019. However, her career graph has seen a decline in the past couple of years and the youngster believes that it’s best for her to take a break and focus on mental well-being. Mental health has been a burning topic in the world of sports recently and Anisimova has become the latest athlete to speak openly about it.
“It seems like a glamorous life, but it isn’t. For a teenager, it is not a normal life. Every day, you’re either a winner or a loser. You’re put on a pedestal or you’re shamed on social media. The highs and lows provide no balance. There is a price. Take your time Amanda”, the Tennis icon wrote on Twitter in support of Anisimova. Anisimova revealed her decision on social media yesterday and promised her fans that she would come back stronger. She also thanked her fans and well-wishers for their continuous support.
Anisimova has had a pretty rough 2023 and that seems to have taken a really heavy toll on her mental health. She played five WTA tournaments this season and suffered first round exits in four of them. She was last seen in action on 26th April at the Madrid Open, during her opening round loss to Arantxa Rus.
Naomi Osaka has set a benchmark for athletes worldwide and Tennis players specifically when it comes to opening up about mental health. During the 2021 Roland Garros, Osaka announced her withdrawal from the tournament citing mental health issues.
Her move sparked a fresh debate on the importance of mental health issues among everyone and especially for athletes who are always under a high pressure situation. Osaka has since then become one of the leading figures in the mental health awareness campaign around the world.
Osaka was on a three month long break from tennis citing mental health issues and made a full-time comeback to Tennis only in 2022. Apart from Osaka, other tennis stars have also stepped up their fight against mental health abuse and is helping to spread awareness that mental health is not a taboo. Former Australian tennis star Jelena Dokic recently revealed her struggles with mental health while current world No.1 Iga Swiatek also stressed on the importance of mental health earlier this year.
More Tennis news
Follow our dedicated Tennis page for instant Tennis news and updates