Article by Tudor Belivaca – published Sunday, July 06, 2025, 16:47 / Updated Sunday, July 6, 2025:47
Tennis players have begun to be more and more vocal about the mental health of the athletes. Aleksandar Zverev acknowledged that he does not feel psychically good after the premature elimination from Wimbledon, and Novak Djokovic, one of the most important tennis players, also addressed the subject, referring especially to young players.
Novak Djokovic spoke about these issues with journalists in London, where he is present to participate in Wimbledon.
Novak Djokovic spoke to Wimbledon about the mental health of young players: “Everyone is on social networks and then you can lose yourself, you can attach too much to comments.”
“The first thing that comes to mind is that social networks are extremely present and dictateto a large extent, the provisions and rhythm of the day of a sportsman, especially of the young, but also of the oldest, of course.
Everyone is on social media and then you can lose yourselfyou can attach too much to the comments, what someone writes at the keyboard, type on the phone and then … hurt you. It's not naive at all. It's something we need to talk about and discuss seriously”, Stated Novak Djokovic, according to Sportal.Blic.rs.
Djokovic has also named other factors that deteriorate the mental health of young athletes, including the overload caused by the crowded program, but also by “various managers”.
There are various other factors, the fact that, in my opinion, children are pushed too early in this strict professionalism, without developing emotional intelligence, which is part of the psychological training for life. When a talent is discovered, and is professionally pushed, only plays, plays, playing and then clinging to all kinds of people, various managers, who have interests from success and push the player to play as much as possible. It is a vicious circle and if tennis or tennis player is lost in it, it can strongly affect the psychic and how it lives.
-Novak Djokovic, according to the source quoted
Novak Djokovic also spoke about the loaded program of professional athletes who do not offer too many breaks.
“Tennis is, of all global sports, sport with the longest season. For most of those who play the whole program, it is from January 1 to the end of November, and in other sports the intensity of the competition increases, and the fact that tennis is an individual sport, There is no replacement, there is no «I don't feel well today, let's change me in the five minute, rest a little».
Here every point is important, every day is important, if you want to reach the highest peaks you have to turn your whole life into tennis and sport service. You lose yourself, it is too much responsibility for the majority, “said Novak Djokovic for journalists in London.
