{"id":30614,"date":"2025-03-05T03:03:49","date_gmt":"2025-03-05T03:03:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=30614"},"modified":"2025-03-05T03:03:49","modified_gmt":"2025-03-05T03:03:49","slug":"novak-djokovic-joins-paula-badosa-and-atp-legend-in-extending-support-to-tennis-pro-who-suffered-from-suicidal-thoughts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=30614","title":{"rendered":"Novak Djokovic Joins Paula Badosa and ATP Legend in Extending Support to Tennis Pro Who Suffered From \u2018Suicidal Thoughts\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cYou have to be really mentally strong to play tennis,\u201d<\/em>\u00a0\u00a0Naomi Osaka said in her 2021 Netflix docuseries \u2018Naomi Osaka.\u2019\u00a0<\/em>Climbing the ranks in professional tennis is no joke. The physical grind is obvious, but the mental toll often stays hidden. The pressure to always have the winners mentality can be too much to handle and often goes unheard. Argentine tennis player Federico Gomez just shattered that silence. He opened up about his struggles with mental health. His honesty has sparked an outpouring of support, with\u00a0Novak Djokovic\u00a0among those standing by him.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

In an emotional and raw post, the Argentine tennis player wrote on Instagram, \u00a0\u201cThe last 6 months have been some of the hardest I\u2019ve ever had to live as a human being. Living with thoughts of leaving tennis completely, of really questioning myself if all this is really worth it and even repeatedly suicidal thoughts of not wanting to live anymore and leave this world\u2026\u201d \u00a0<\/em>The 27-year-old had a stellar season, reaching a career-high ranking of No. 135 and clinching three Challenger titles in Milan, Trieste, and Guayaquil. On paper, everything looked perfect. But behind the scenes, he was fighting a battle no one could see.\u201cThis may come as a surprise to many, but 2024 was undoubtedly the best year of my tennis career, yet it was simultaneously the worst year personally, and this recent period has been no exception,\u201d<\/em>\u00a0he wrote.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Gomez\u2019s words struck a chord with many, including Novak Djokovic. The 24-time Grand Slam champion reposted Gomez\u2019s post on his\u00a0Instagram story, adding a simple but powerful note: \u201cStrength, friend. There is always light at the end of the tunnel\u201d<\/em>\u00a0(translated from Spanish)<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
\n
\n

Rafael Nadal Finding Solace in Life Post Retirement Stuns ATP Legend as He Drops His Honest Take<\/h3>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Djokovic has long been a vocal advocate for mental health in tennis. Back in 2020, he co-founded the Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA) alongside Vasek Pospisil, aiming to support players beyond the court. Mental health has been a key focus for the PTPA, which has partnered with Apeak Tennis to provide mental performance training for pros and their teams. Their Mental Fitness Program also offers holistic wellness support.<\/p>\n

The Serbian tennis player wasn\u2019t the only one to reach out. Other tennis personalities have also offered their support.<\/p>\n

Federico Gomez\u2019s post also caught the attention of The Tennis Letter, a popular page on X, which helped amplify his message. One of the first to respond was\u00a0B<\/a>oris Becker. The six-time Grand Slam champion from Germany didn\u2019t hold back, offering direct support on X. \u201cGod bless Federico! If I can help in any way, contact me on my Instagram,<\/em>\u201d Becker posted.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile,\u00a0Paula Badosa, who has been open about her own struggles with mental health as she dealt with a chronic back injury. She shared Gomez\u2019s post and sent a heartfelt message.\u201c@fedegomez250\u00a0It hurts me so much to hear these words when I look so reflective. Lots of encouragement and lots of strength. You are very brave. Remember: the storm doesn\u2019t last forever, the sun always rises, and when it does, you\u2019ll be stronger than ever. \ud83d\ude4f<\/em>\u201d she wrote.<\/p>\n

Mental health struggles don\u2019t discriminate. They affect champions and challengers alike. In the past, players like the former World No. 1 Naomi Osaka and\u00a0Andrey Rublev have also shared their battles with mental health. With stars like Novak Djokovic, Boris Becker, and Paula Badosa offering support, the conversation is changing. The tennis world is confronting the battles that happen off the court.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cYou have to be really mentally strong to play tennis,\u201d\u00a0\u00a0Naomi Osaka said in her 2021 Netflix docuseries \u2018Naomi Osaka.\u2019\u00a0Climbing the ranks in professional tennis is no joke…. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":30617,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30614","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tennis"],"yoast_head":"\nNovak Djokovic Joins Paula Badosa and ATP Legend in Extending Support to Tennis Pro Who Suffered From \u2018Suicidal Thoughts\u2019 - 24\/7 News America<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=30614\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Novak Djokovic Joins Paula Badosa and ATP Legend in Extending Support to Tennis Pro Who Suffered From \u2018Suicidal Thoughts\u2019 - 24\/7 News America\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"\u201cYou have to be really mentally strong to play tennis,\u201d\u00a0\u00a0Naomi Osaka said in her 2021 Netflix docuseries \u2018Naomi Osaka.\u2019\u00a0Climbing the ranks in professional tennis is no joke....\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=30614\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"24\/7 News America\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-03-05T03:03:49+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/3-19.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1154\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1440\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=30614\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=30614\",\"name\":\"Novak Djokovic Joins Paula Badosa and ATP Legend in Extending Support to Tennis Pro Who Suffered From \u2018Suicidal Thoughts\u2019 - 24\/7 News America\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=30614#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=30614#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/3-19.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-03-05T03:03:49+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-03-05T03:03:49+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/4fd584257b8aaef08c4e2bc73ee6a914\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=30614#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=30614\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=30614#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/3-19.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/3-19.jpg\",\"width\":1154,\"height\":1440},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=30614#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Novak Djokovic Joins Paula Badosa and ATP Legend in Extending Support to Tennis Pro Who Suffered From \u2018Suicidal Thoughts\u2019\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/\",\"name\":\"24\/7 News America\",\"description\":\"Breaking Stories, Real Insights"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/4fd584257b8aaef08c4e2bc73ee6a914\",\"name\":\"Admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ab07af1f129ef9c67f3a58e6273eac4d8eb51a1cb066ea995eb6d5f03eceb61b?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ab07af1f129ef9c67f3a58e6273eac4d8eb51a1cb066ea995eb6d5f03eceb61b?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Admin\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?author=2\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Novak Djokovic Joins Paula Badosa and ATP Legend in Extending Support to Tennis Pro Who Suffered From \u2018Suicidal Thoughts\u2019 - 24\/7 News America","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=30614","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Novak Djokovic Joins Paula Badosa and ATP Legend in Extending Support to Tennis Pro Who Suffered From \u2018Suicidal Thoughts\u2019 - 24\/7 News America","og_description":"\u201cYou have to be really mentally strong to play tennis,\u201d\u00a0\u00a0Naomi Osaka said in her 2021 Netflix docuseries \u2018Naomi Osaka.\u2019\u00a0Climbing the ranks in professional tennis is no joke....","og_url":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=30614","og_site_name":"24\/7 News America","article_published_time":"2025-03-05T03:03:49+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1154,"height":1440,"url":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/3-19.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Admin","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=30614","url":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=30614","name":"Novak Djokovic Joins Paula Badosa and ATP Legend in Extending Support to Tennis Pro Who Suffered From \u2018Suicidal Thoughts\u2019 - 24\/7 News America","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=30614#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=30614#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/3-19.jpg","datePublished":"2025-03-05T03:03:49+00:00","dateModified":"2025-03-05T03:03:49+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/4fd584257b8aaef08c4e2bc73ee6a914"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=30614#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=30614"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=30614#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/3-19.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/3-19.jpg","width":1154,"height":1440},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=30614#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Novak Djokovic Joins Paula Badosa and ATP Legend in Extending Support to Tennis Pro Who Suffered From \u2018Suicidal Thoughts\u2019"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/","name":"24\/7 News America","description":"Breaking Stories, Real Insights"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/4fd584257b8aaef08c4e2bc73ee6a914","name":"Admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ab07af1f129ef9c67f3a58e6273eac4d8eb51a1cb066ea995eb6d5f03eceb61b?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ab07af1f129ef9c67f3a58e6273eac4d8eb51a1cb066ea995eb6d5f03eceb61b?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Admin"},"url":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?author=2"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30614","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=30614"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30614\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30618,"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30614\/revisions\/30618"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/30617"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=30614"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=30614"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=30614"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}