Andre
Agassi reflected on mental health in sports and discussed the pressure placed
on
Carlos Alcaraz at just 20 years old. The 8-time Grand Slam champion has
previously acknowledged that a significant part of his career dealt with
external pressures and that he hated being a tennis player for a long time in
his career.
The
American legend appreciated the progress in the debate regarding the importance
of mental health in athletes: "I think anytime that you have an
environment that is friendlier to honesty and communication," he said.
"Sports
by definition, it will always have an inherent anchor to it emotionally,"
he reflected. "I mean, think about what you have to do to turn pro at 16
years old, what you have to deal with every day of your life. You're giving
your entire early existence to one entire focus. The ability to be able to have
any real balance or avoid any form of PTSD would require—it'd be an
anomaly."
Agassi, who
married fellow tennis player and 22-time Grand Slam champion Steffi Graf, also
commented on world No. 2 Alcaraz, who has already won 2 Grand Slams and spent
over 30 weeks as No. 1. Agassi remarked that the Spanish player is the same age
as his children, providing him with a point of comparison regarding the
tremendous pressure he faces:
"Look
at Alcazar, he's 20 years old. He's two years younger than my son, he's my
daughter's age. And it's like, wow, he's got a world on his shoulders. So you
can only imagine what his early years are like," he added
"We
love cooking together," Agassi revealed. "We love hiking together. We
love even grocery shopping together, dividing and conquering. So it's real
life. And we're blessed," the former world No. 1 concluded.