Alcaraz and Raducanu respond to Alexander Zverev’s concerning mental health confession

Sam Cooper 03 Jul 2025 4:50 PM

Alcaraz and Raducanu are some of the players to talk about their mental health after Zverev's comments.

The world of tennis has been talking about mental health after Alexander Zverev made a frank confession following his early Wimbledon defeat.

A first-round exit to Arthur Rinderknech prompted Zverev to reveal he had been struggling with his mental health and suggested he may need the help of a threapist.

That topic has been put to other players at the British slam with the likes of Carlos Alcaraz, Emma Raducanu and Aryna Sabalenka all weighing in.

Alcaraz, who is eyeing his third consecutive Wimbledon title, said the key to his mental preparation was to focus on enjoying the sport rather than the pressure of winning.

“I’ve felt down a lot of times on the court and in tournaments,” Alcaraz said when Zverev’s comments were put to him.

“I’m just really happy to have found the right path again and such good joy on the court. For me, it is not about winning or losing. For me it’s about having fun playing tennis, have fun stepping on court. Not thinking about the result. It’s just living the moment.”

Raducanu, who has weathered her fair share of negative press, said she has to ignore the results side of the sport and try to find progress.

“It’s a mentally very challenging sport. I think for me, what I’ve found, is trying to surround yourself with good people.. trying to win the day.. trying to focus on the process as much as possible.

“I think the results, it’s really difficult to kind of take your joy from the results. Because it’s so up and down. It’s a rollercoaster.”

Therapists working with athletes is nothing new and indeed, women’s world No. 1 Sabalenka revealed she spent five years working with one.

“I had a therapist for like five years,” she said. “I stopped working [with them] maybe in 2022.

“It’s actually crazy to hear from someone like Alexander because he surrounded himself with the family. I think it’s really important to talk openly about whatever you’re dealing with. Especially if you have your family, you can say whatever you feel to your family.

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“Me, with my team, we always talk a lot. That’s why I don’t need a therapist. I have my team. We talk about whatever. I know they’re not gonna judge me. They’re not gonna blame me. They’re just gonna accept it and we’re gonna work through. This is the best advice I can give to Sascha [Zverev]”

Andrey Rublev said these problems are not unique to tennis and that bad results or the sport can just be “the trigger point.”

“To be honest, it has nothing to do with tennis,” the 27-year-old said. “It’s about the same thing. It’s just that you can find excuses like you’re exhausted or mentally tired of playing non-stop, non-stop, but it has nothing to do with tennis.

“In the end, tennis is just the trigger point. It’s something inside you that you have to deal with.”