Indian cricket superstar Virat Kohli says he has struggled with his mental health throughout his career. He said it was important for athletes to rest and recover from the pressures of sport and reconnect with their "core self". He isn't alone in feeling this way - there have been several other high profile athletes suffering from mental health issues due to the pressures of their sport...
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Glenn Maxwell: Australian cricketer Glenn Maxwell took a two-month break in October 2019. He opted out of the remainder of the T20I series with Sri Lanka in a bid to focus on his mental health. Two months later he returned to the team and delivered an outstanding performance, earning him a Man of the Match for Melbourne Stars in the Australian Big Bash League.
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Jonathan Trott: The former England batsman faced mental health struggles during the back-to-back Ashes series of 2013. He was so scared to face Australia that he revealed he thought about driving his car into the Thames or into a tree to get out of what he considered was an "ordeal".
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Serena Williams: After losing the 2006 Australian Open title to Daniela Hantuchova in the third round, the ace tennis player blamed lack of fitness and a knee injury for keeping her off the court. She, however, later revealed in her autobiography that she had been suffering from depression, along with her injuries. She stayed away from professional tennis for six months and saw a therapist which helped her get back to her game.
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Michael Phelps: One of the most decorated Olympic athletes of all time battled with depression and anxiety which got so bad that he considered taking his own life. Phelps confessed he fell into a “major state of depression” after every Olympics. He says he used drugs and alcohol as a way to self-medicate and help him escape his feelings.
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Naomi Osaka: The tennis ace shocked the sports world when she announced she wouldn’t be participating in any media interviews during the 2021 French Open citing social anxiety and a need to protect herself from relentless negative questions from journalists prior to each match.
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Aly Raisman: She was one of the dozens of gymnasts who accused former USA Gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar of sexual abuse. Aly (centre) revealed it caused her to suffer from anxiety and trauma. Since then, she's been a vocal advocate of mental health and healing from past traumas.
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Ronda Rousey: The professional wrestler said she contemplated suicide following her UFC 193 loss to Holly Holm in 2015. Rousey, who lost both her father and grandfather to suicide, revealed she felt like she was "nothing" if she wasn't a champion.
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DeMar DeRozan: The NBA star tweeted about his struggle with depression. "No matter how indestructible we look like we are, we're all human at the end of the day," he said.
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Kevin Love: Another NBA star who shared a personal essay about his mental health journey in 2020. "It felt like I was on a deserted island by myself, and it was always midnight," he wrote. Love explained how he was "paralyzed with depression" and that "the future started to feel meaningless."
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Paul Pogba: The France international opened up about experiencing depression "several times" during his career. The Juventus midfielder said it is difficult for footballers to speak out about their mental health struggles. He added that high salaries and the constant scrutiny players are under creates an intense environment they have to deal with.
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Andre Agassi: He loathed the tennis life he was pushed into by his father and reveals a deep depression in 1997 led him to use the recreational drug crystal meth.
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