VIENNA—Last week, during his run to the Stockholm final, 33-year-old Grigor Dimitrov revealed in a post-match press conference that he’s faced anxiety and panic attacks on the court during his career. He has contemplated retirement on three different occasions.
In following up with the world No. 9 on Wednesday at the Erste Bank Open in Vienna—and noting the positive feedback his answer received—Dimitrov hopes his openness can help inspire more of his peers to be comfortable with bringing the mental health conversation to the forefront.
“I think a lot of players need to come through for that. We're a very individual sport, but we need to unite when it comes to health and mental health. There should not be any ranking, or where you're from judged,” he told TENNIS.com in an exclusive interview.
“It's just a topic that has always been lingering around in the background. It has not been addressed enough overall. It's up to the players and everyone around to address it, or not. I’m just speaking my heart on that. Whenever I'm asked, I'll always answer very promptly and honestly.”