For several weeks and the Naomi Osaka affair, the notion of pressure in sport has been at the heart of the media debate. Relaunched after the abandonment of gymnast Simone Biles at the Tokyo Olympics, who said she was “Haunted by her demons”, the subject is more topical than ever.
If for Djokovic and Barty, pressure is a privilege, it can also be harmful for other athletes who do not necessarily have the psychological weapons to fight against or to do with it.
Asked about this on the sidelines of the Washington tournament, Rafael Nadal responded to the Rafa, full of pragmatism: “All professional athletes deal with these issues differently. We athletes are under pressure all the time because competition makes you more stressed but at the same time we are also super lucky people. You know, we can work and earn a living by doing one of our hobbies. The most important thing in this life is to be happy, that’s my opinion, being happy is above all else. “
Posted on Wednesday, August 4, 2021 at 6:44 PM
