Tennis
Went into depression for 3-4 months and cried for no reason: Sania Mirza
Speaking in an episode of Mind Matters, the 34-year-old tennis star explained in length about her struggles with mental health during the early part of her career.
Sania Mirza (Source: WTA)
Quite a few Indian sportspersons like Virat Kohli, Abhinav Bindra, and others have come out and spoken about their struggles pertaining to mental health during their playing career in recent times.
At a time when more and more people in the country are facing some or the other kinds of issues related to mental health, yet another top sportsperson from the country, Sania Mirza, has spoken about her tussle with mental health during the early part of her career.
Speaking in an episode of Mind Matters, the 34-year-old tennis star explained in length her struggles with mental health during the early part of her career.
"I have suffered mental health issues a bunch of times. Not just tennis-wise but also out of the court. I think many times we rely so much on our career to bring happiness in our lives, we kind of forget that career is just a part of our lives, it is not our life. At 34, it is a lot clearer in my mind than at 20," Mirza said.
She further described the harrowing phase she had to encounter when she was forced to pull out of the 2008 Beijing Olympics owing to a wrist injury and how badly it affected her.
"One incident I remember is when I had to pull out of the Olympics due to a wrist injury. I went into depression for 3-4 months and remember crying for no reason. I would be absolutely fine and then burst into tears," she said.
Mirza further spoke about how she felt her tennis career was over following the injury and that it was the end of her road in the sport.
"I felt that I will never be able to play tennis ever again. It's a lot for anybody at any age, but for a 20-year-old to read that you are finished or you are not going to be able to compete at Olympics ever again is heartbreaking."
