Mardy Fish was going through the best moment of his career when he decided not to take the field. Hours before facing Roger Federer in the round of 16 of the 2012 US Open, the former American top ten withdrew from the tournament due to a strong case of anxiety that overwhelmed him physically and mentally.
At 30 years old, Fish was number 7 in the ATP ranking, had six titles in his career and was coming from a profound physical transformation that had taken him to his sporting peak. However, panic attacks began to appear frequently and reached a critical point in New York. “I felt like I was going to die,” he confessed some time later about what he experienced before the most important game of his life.
The decision to withdraw from the tournament marked a break. Fish did not compete again for the remainder of the year and stepped away from the circuit to treat his mental health. He even suffered heart problems that led to medical intervention. In 2013 he tried to return, but a new episode confirmed that the situation was still latent and he ended up retiring permanently.
As time went by, he chose to tell his story and make visible a little-talked about problem in elite sport. “My life was more important than tennis,” he said. After his retirement, he was captain of the American Davis Cup team and found a space for personal balance in golf.
Mardy Fish’s legacy exceeds results: her greatest victory was the courage to slow down, put herself out there, and put mental health at the forefront of high performance.
By: Delfina Gatti – TyC Sports
