Former world No 1 reveals how anxiety and an eating disorder led to her retirement
Former world No 1 Dinara Safina has divulged that her fight with anxiety and a binge eating disorder was what kept her from returning to tennis and ultimately led to her retirement.
The three-time major finalist wanted to share her story so people could understand “that this can happen to anyone” and expressed the message that “there is always light at the end.”
Safina, who won 12 WTA titles, reached the final of the French Open in 2008 and 2009 and was also a runner-up at the Australian Open in 2009. She was a silver medallist at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, where she lost to fellow Russian Elena Dementieva in the gold medal match.
The 37-year-old, who topped the WTA Rankings in 2009, played her final match in 2011, before announcing her retirement from the sport in 2014. The Russian had turned 25 shortly before playing her last match against Julia Goerges at the Madrid Open.
In an interview with Tennis.com, Safina revealed the sad truth behind her early retirement – something she had not previously disclosed.
“What ultimately kept me from coming back was that physically, I struggled with body weight. I was fighting anxiety and a binge eating disorder. I was consistently overweight, and I couldn’t lose it even though I fought so much to do so,” the 37-year-old explained.
“I would try different diets and nothing worked and to play with an extra 30 kilos, it’s not easy. For me, this was one of the main reasons why I never tried to come back, and these were tough moments for me, because I was physically not like I was, and people were saying that I had gotten fat and the blah-blah-blah.
“It’s not a secret, but at the same time, I don’t want it to be a story where people read it like I feel so bad and I’m crying over this. I want people to understand that this can happen to anyone.
“Everyone has their own problems, their own fears, and it’s normal, when facing them, to feel like you are alone in this world and no one else understands. Many people have gone through the same things. There is always light at the end, and it’s important to remember that you’re not alone.”
Safina, who has done some coaching since retiring, expressed that she is now in a good place and also suggested she would be open to returning to the sport as a commentator.
“For now, I’m honestly happy, and I would prefer to help others. When I think of what my mission is in life, maybe it was tennis at one point, but now it may be to help others to achieve those results without making the mistakes I made,” she added.
The former world No 1 also discussed current WTA No 2 and two-time Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka and praised her character.
“The way she handled herself speaks to her strength of character, how loyal she is to her team. If something has gone wrong, she takes the responsibility. She doesn’t blame others and I think the way she treats people shows that she has a very big heart,” Safina assessed.
“I think she changed as a person. She has found a balance where she is happy inside and isn’t struggling emotionally. Even if she loses a match, she’s still smiling and not taking it personal. She’s able to understand that she can have a bad day and still give 100% the next match. It’s not killing her from the inside.
“There will always be people in your career telling you that you’re doing the wrong thing. In the end, you start doubting yourself, and this is the worst thing. I was looking at her, and wondering how she would respond to that kind of doubt.”
