Six Grand Slam titles, two ATP Finals crowns, and a decorated career – yet Joe Salisbury was battling his own struggles. Recurring anxiety attacks and heart palpitations took a toll, eventually leading the 33-year-old to step away from the sport for a mental health break last November. Now, the former world No. 1 in doubles is set to make his return to the tour. With his return, the Brit will now partner with Francisco Cabral.

Salisbury spoke openly about his struggles, and stated that he didn’t “want to be playing and competing.” These issues affected him during different periods of the year.

He also described the physical symptoms as a result of his anxiety. The 33-year-old felt sickness in his stomach and was “struggling to sleep” and “struggling to eat well, eat enough”. 

However, he managed to keep competing despite the issues, which in return took a toll on his overall well-being.

“It’s taken an extra toll emotionally and mentally to do that. It’s meant that it’s just not been enjoyable being at a lot of the tournaments that I have played.”

And perhaps, mental health struggles are not new in tennis. Naomi Osaka spoke about this in 2021. She said she had battled “long bouts of depression” and took a break from the sport.

Another example is Emil Ruusuvuori. He took a six-month break starting in September 2024. He admitted that the balance between work and recovery was not right.

He said, “I have achieved things I have dreamed of since I was a child, but the balance between work and recovery has not been right,” and added, “Due to overloading, I have decided to take a break from tennis for the rest of the year and focus on my physical and mental health.” 

His break lasted until February 2025, and he later shared: “When I embarked on my comeback, I decided not to tell the public everything about my experience,” and “We all have our own challenges, but I feel I need to share some thoughts on events and the occasional rad athlete’s daily life, so I can continue my story more freely, without pretending.”

To be honest, mental health struggles in tennis are not new, as several players have faced similar challenges over the years.

Rafael Nadal opens up about considering a mental health break

Rafael Nadal retired at the age of 38. He played his final matches for Spain in the Davis Cup in November 2024. However, his last two seasons were heavily affected by injuries.

He competed only in a few tournaments during that period. His physical struggles were clear. But there was also a deeper mental challenge. After retirement, Nadal opened up about it. He spoke honestly about mental health. He admitted that even elite athletes face such moments.

He said, “Physical pain I was very used to, but there were times on the court when I had trouble controlling my breathing, and I couldn’t play at the highest level. I don’t have trouble saying it now. After all, we are human beings, not superheroes,” Nadal says on The Player’s Tribune.

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He also revealed how close he came to stepping away. The pressure had built over time. It affected his mindset deeply. He added, “There were months when I thought about taking a complete break from tennis to cleanse my mind. In the end, I worked on it every day to get better.”

Andrey Rublev has also faced similar struggles. He went through a difficult phase in 2024. His problems went beyond tennis results.

He recalled his first-round loss at Wimbledon 2024. It was his first-round loss to Francisco Comesana, who was then ranked world No 122 and had never won a match on the ATP tour. “That was the worst moment that I faced about myself. It was not about tennis. It was to do with myself, like after that moment I don’t see the reason of living life.”

Rublev also spoke about his treatment. He said it was a tough period. He shared, “Since Wimbledon, some things have changed. I was taking anti-depression tablets and it was not helping at all. In the end I said: ‘I don’t want to take anything any more.’ I stopped all the tablets and Marat Safin [his fellow Russian, who won two grand slam titles] helped me a lot with conversation.”

Now, Joe Salisbury is returning to tennis. Fans expect him to come back stronger. They hope he can find both form and mental strength as the demands of the sport continue.