"I had severe moments of anxiety, panic attacks": Grigor Dimitrov honest on mental health struggles
ATP
Grigor Dimitrov is into the final of the Stockholm Open where he will face Tommy Paul on Sunday afternoon but amid a person who may look very happy on the surface is one that has had to deal with his own struggles.
In an honest interview after his semi-final win over Tallon Griekspoor 2-6, 7-5, 6-4 in the last four, he laid bare his mental health struggles and dealing with anxiety and panic attacks. Often not something that is openly discussed especially by men, Dimitrov wanted to show this side.
“It would be a lie if I say that I never had it. I had severe moments of anxiety, panic attacks and they would drop on the tennis match. Of course I think it always helps when you can talk to people and share and even if it's another tennis player,” Dimitrov said.
“I was saying we all should be more open to each other. I know it’s difficult . I know it's a very individual sport and almost brutal, but I mean we’re all human and at the end of the day we're no different than anyone else just happened for us to play good tennis that’s all,” he added.
“I think a lot of athletes all around the world are slowly starting to express themselves which is lovely to see especially I've seen quite a few guys in the NBA speak very openly about mental health. We don’t speak enough about it and I totally understand.
“I’m obviously talking from my side, like men in general, we don’t speak about it often but I think we should. It’s not a sort of weakness but I think it’s totally the opposite showing vulnerability. It’s a huge strength absolutely, huge strength and you sit on your own, on your own self in your own ground."
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Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.
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