"I realised I needed help" - Benoit Paire reveals battles with depression

Friday, 15 July 2022 at 09:30

Updated at Saturday, 14 December 2024 at 19:24

byZachary Wimer

Benoit Paire has struggled a lot on the tennis courts in recent years, and now he has revealed that he's been battling depression.

Mental health has been a taboo topic in sports and society for a very long time, but athletes have felt more comfortable speaking about these topics in recent years, and more and more have come forward with their struggles.

The latest is Benoit Paire, as he admitted to dealing with depression. The French player has been far from his best in the past two years, and he clearly hinted at mental struggles a couple of times in the past, saying that it's been difficult for him to focus on tennis fully.

In a recent interview, the former ATP World No. 18 player went into more detail, explaining his struggles.

"My head, I don’t know when it will get better. It’s an injury that can be very long and I hope it will be as short as possible. I realised that I needed help and that I needed to be better on the court. I’m seeing shrinks, a lot of people to try to understand what’s happening to me."

"On my own, I couldn’t cope. I see a hypnotist, a psychologist. I have a mental trainer to discuss a lot of things to try to correct this."

Despite being a successful tennis player, Paire admitted that he doesn't feel happy in his life. That's what makes it difficult for him to properly prepare for tournaments.

"It’s difficult because I don’t necessarily feel happy in my life, because tennis is complicated. What I need to do is to find the right balance, to celebrate, but also to be serious and to prepare well for tournaments."

"That’s what I’m having a bit of trouble doing at the moment. That’s why I’m going to start from scratch. It’s been two days since I last drank alcohol (smile), I’m in the middle of a cure."

"I have a little bit of stress coming onto a court, when that’s what I enjoyed when I was good before. Even without practising a lot, I was able to come out with big matches because I liked that, the adrenaline. I used to like the stressful moments and now it’s become more and more complicated. As soon as I’m stressed, I get anxious and panic."