Andrey Rublev compares battling constant fear, anxiety to ‘addiction’

Andrey Rublev admits controlling himself while battling the constant fear and anxiety is a continuous battle but also highlights that he has accepted his issue and is doing his best to tackle it. 

After several angry on-court outbursts – which included hitting himself with the racket and getting into the face of a chair umpire last year – the world No. 10 publicly admitted that he was depressed and that certain things were contributing to his at times self-destructive behavior.

Since he first went public with his mental health issues, the Russian has been more or less doing a better job of keeping his emotions on the court in check. 

But that doesn’t mean that Rublev’s problems are fully gone.

“It’s like a person who is addicted to something: every day you’re a bit afraid. Today, I was able (to calm down); but the next day, I don’t know if I will make it or not,” the 27-year-old told journalist Giovanni Pelazzo in Rotterdam.

Andrey Rublev

Andrey Rublev© ABN AMRO Open/Instagram – Fair Use

 

Rublev: If you have a problem, accept yourself 

As mentioned above, the former world No. 5 has been pretty open about his mental health for the past couple of months. 

And while he doesn’t have any magical tips, he acknowledges that one of the most important things is to accept own issues and not be afraid to seek help. 

“I don’t know which advice I could give to the younger generations. The easiest thing I can say is to be always honest with yourself,” Rublev said.

“99% of the people in the world, even if they think they are, they’re not 100% honest with themselves.

“It’s important to accept yourself. If you have a problem, the first thing to do is to put away your complexity and your ego. 

“Listen to your body, to your voice: everything is inside. It’s only about yourself.”

Meanwhile, Rublev’s campaign at this week’s ATP 500 event in Rotterdam came to an end in the quarterfinal after Hubert Hurkacz came back from a set down to beat him 6-7 (5) 6-3 6-4.

​Tennis World USA


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