Mental health an issue on tour
TENNIS: With his third Easter Gold Cup in hand, Ben Mitchell now turns his focus to South Korea.
Mitchell will head overseas later this month to participate in two ATP Challenger competitions in Seoul and Busan.
Outside of the obvious stepup in competition, Mitchell is preparing for a challenge rarely spoken about in tennis.
“It (tennis) is a very isolating sport – it can be very lonely on and off the court,” Mitchell said.
“Tennis can be very rewarding but it’s also very challenging at the same time.
“Out there on the court it’s just you and when you go back to the hotel if you’re on tour it’s the same.
“The players are dealing with everything themselves.
“There’s always a lot of talk about mental health in football but it’s never really spoken about in tennis.
“I think it’s a much bigger issue in tennis than people think and hopefully something can be done about it in the future.”
Thankfully for Mitchell, the pressures of tennis are instant- ly eased by the simplest of outlets - his two-year-old daughter Zara.
“I try to limit my time away from her and my support network,” he said.
“Where possible I keep it to two weeks maximum. I love her and the time we spend together.”
‘‘ I THINK IT’S A MUCH BIGGER ISSUE IN TENNIS THAN PEOPLE THINK AND HOPEFULLY SOMETHING CAN BE DONE ABOUT IT IN THE FUTURE.
BEN MITCHELL