The conversation on mental health returns to tennis after Alexander Zverev's post-loss lament

LONDON (AP) — When Naomi Osaka opened up about her anxiety and depression at the 2021 French Open, it sparked a conversation in sports — and society at large — about mental health and the importance of addressing such issues.

In the time since, more and more players have spoken about the topic and seeking help, and whatever taboos there were seem to have faded. Still, the way three-time Grand Slam finalist Alexander Zverev discussed his state of mind after a first-round exit at Wimbledon this week revived the conversation.

“I feel very alone out there at times. I struggle mentally. ... I’m trying to find ways to kind of get out of this hole. I keep kind of finding myself back in it in a way,” said Zverev, who was the runner-up at the Australian Open in January but then went through a rough stretch of results this season when he had a chance to overtake Jannik Sinner at No. 1 in the rankings.

“I feel, generally speaking, quite alone in life at the moment, which is a feeling that is not very nice," Zverev said. "It’s not a feeling on a tennis court, it’s just a life feeling in general.”

Players at the All England Club were asked Wednesday about Zverev's words.

They could empathize, some said.

Others offered advice.

Amanda Anisimova was a French Open semifinalist as a teen in 2019, then announced two years ago she was taking time off because of burnout. She's been back for a while now and reached the third round at Wimbledon with a victory Wednesday.

“It’s definitely tricky. Each and every one of us goes through something at some point in our lives. We have our bouts of negative times. It honestly takes some self-reflecting, figuring out what’s going wrong or how can I create a lifestyle that I enjoy. I feel like there are so many factors. For me, personally, it was finding people that I could confide in and I trusted. People that I could talk to," Anisimova said.

“What Alex said about feeling lonely ... a lot of people struggle with being lonely, especially on the pro circuit,” she said, adding that taking a break from tour life "really helped me and I'm happy I did that, because I came back with a new perspective, felt refreshed, and I feel like I learned a lot about myself.”

Top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka, who owns three major trophies, said that she worked with a therapist for five years.

“It's really important to talk openly about whatever you’re dealing with. ... It’s really important to be open and to talk about what are you experiencing, because if you’re going to keep it inside, it’s just going to destroy you. I think that’s kind of like something happening to him,” Sabalenka said. “I think (Zverev) just needs to open up to whoever is close to him.”

At the Australian Open, title winner Madison Keys addressed her reliance on therapy and the ways in which it both allowed her to be happier, in general, and more successful at tennis — a sport in which losses are frequent and expectations can be a burden.

“Our identity becomes very wrapped up in being a tennis player. That’s great, but when you have the tough kind of weeks, months, years on tour, that can really take a toll on how you think about yourself as a person,” Keys, a 30-year-old American, said Wednesday.

“So being able to kind of dive into that and figure out how to separate the two and know that you’re not just a tennis player, you're a full person that has all of these other really great attributes and other interests and just different things in your life.”

When a reporter asked the No. 3-seeded Zverev after his loss to unseeded Arthur Rinderknech on Tuesday whether he might consider trying therapy, the 28-year-old German replied: “For the first time in my life, I’ll probably need it.”

This is how he described his current mindset: “I’ve never felt this empty before. Just lacking joy, just lacking joy in everything that I do. It’s not necessarily about tennis. Just lacking joy outside of tennis, as well.”

Andrey Rublev, a 10-time Slam quarterfinalist from Russia who is seeded 14th at Wimbledon, said after his win Wednesday that life on tour, in and of itself, is not the problem for someone like Zverev.

“Tennis is just the trigger point,” Rublev said. “It’s something inside of you that you need to face.”

Andrey Rublev of Russia, left, embraces Lloyd Harris of South Africa at the net after winning their second round men's singles match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Wednesday, July 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Joanna Chan)

Madison Keys of the U.S. reacts after beating Olga Danilovic of Serbia in their second round singles match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Wednesday, July 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Joanna Chan)

Amanda Anisimova of the U.S. returns the ball to Renata Zarazua of Mexico during their second round women's singles match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Wednesday, July 2, 2025.(AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Alexander Zverev of Germany reacts as he plays Arthur Rinderknech of France during their first round men's singles match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Tuesday, July 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Alexander Zverev of Germany reacts as he plays Arthur Rinderknech of France during their first round men's singles match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Tuesday, July 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

ST. LOUIS (AP) — World champions Ilia Malinin and the ice dance duo of Madison Chock and Evan Bates will anchor one of the strongest U.S. Figure Skating teams in history when they head to Italy for the Milan Cortina Olympics in less than a month.

Malinin, fresh off his fourth straight national title, will be the prohibitive favorite to follow in the footsteps of Nathan Chen by delivering another men's gold medal for the American squad when he steps on the ice at the Milano Ice Skating Arena.

Chock and Bates, who won their record-setting seventh U.S. title Saturday night, also will be among the Olympic favorites, as will world champion Alysa Liu and women's teammate Amber Glenn, fresh off her third consecutive national title.

U.S. Figure Skating announced its full squad of 16 athletes for the Winter Games during a made-for-TV celebration Sunday.

"I'm just so excited for the Olympic spirit, the Olympic environment," Malinin said. “Hopefully go for that Olympic gold.”

Malinin will be joined on the men's side by Andrew Torgashev, the all-or-nothing 24-year-old from Coral Springs, Florida, and Maxim Naumov, the 24-year-old from Simsbury, Connecticut, who fulfilled the hopes of his late parents by making the Olympic team.

Vadim Naumov and Evgenia Shishkova were returning from a talent camp in Kansas when their American Airlines flight collided with a military helicopter and crashed into the icy Potomac River in January 2025. One of the last conversations they had with their son was about what it would take for him to follow in their footsteps by becoming an Olympian.

“We absolutely did it,” Naumov said. “Every day, year after year, we talked about the Olympics. It means so much in our family. It's what I've been thinking about since I was 5 years old, before I even know what to think. I can't put this into words.”

Chock and Bates helped the Americans win team gold at the Beijing Games four years ago, but they finished fourth — one spot out of the medals — in the ice dance competition. They have hardly finished anywhere but first in the years since, winning three consecutive world championships and the gold medal at three straight Grand Prix Finals.

U.S. silver medalists Emilea Zingas and Vadym Kolesnik also made the dance team, as did the Canadian-born Christina Carreira, who became eligible for the Olympics in November when her American citizenship came through, and Anthony Ponomarenko.

Liu was picked for her second Olympic team after briefly retiring following the Beijing Games. She had been burned out by years of practice and competing, but stepping away seemed to rejuvenate the 20-year-old from Clovis, California, and she returned to win the first world title by an American since Kimmie Meissner stood atop the podium two decades ago.

Now, the avant-garde Liu will be trying to help the U.S. win its first women's medal since Sasha Cohen in Turin in 2006, and perhaps the first gold medal since Sarah Hughes triumphed four years earlier at the Salt Lake City Games.

Her biggest competition, besides a powerful Japanese contingent, could come from her own teammates: Glenn, a first-time Olympian, has been nearly unbeatable the past two years, while 18-year-old Isabeau Levito is a former world silver medalist.

"This was my goal and my dream and it just feels so special that it came true,” said Levito, whose mother is originally from Milan.

The two pairs spots went to Ellie Kam and Danny O'Shea, the U.S. silver medalists, and the team of Emily Chan and Spencer Howe.

The top American pairs team, two-time reigning U.S. champions Alisa Efimova and Misha Mitrofanov, were hoping that the Finnish-born Efimova would get her citizenship approved in time to compete in Italy. But despite efforts by the Skating Club of Boston, where they train, and the help of their U.S. senators, she did not receive her passport by the selection deadline.

“The importance and magnitude of selecting an Olympic team is one of the most important milestones in an athlete's life,” U.S. Figure Skating CEO Matt Farrell said, "and it has such an impact, and while there are sometimes rules, there is also a human element to this that we really have to take into account as we make decisions and what's best going forward from a selection process.

“Sometimes these aren't easy," Farrell said, “and this is not the fun part.”

The fun is just beginning, though, for the 16 athletes picked for the powerful American team.

AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

Amber Glenn competes during the women's free skating competition at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Alysa Liu skates during the "Making Team USA" performance at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Maxim Naumov skates during the "Making Team USA" performance at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Madison Chock and Evan Bates skate during the "Making the Team" performance at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Gold medalist Ilia Malinin arrives for the metal ceremony after the men's free skate competition at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)