TMZSports.com
Tennis legend Mardy fish said he might not be alive if it weren’t for his wife… crediting him for getting him out of a very bad place with his mental health issues.
Mardy joined us on “TMZ Live” on Tuesday and got real with us about some of his anxiety bouts, which got so overwhelming at one point that he pulled out at the last minute from a great game of the US Open with Roger Federer …. years before professional athletes talked about their mental health issues.
The way Mardy puts it … his better half, Stacey Gardner, was able to get him out of a dark place and change his perspective with some wise advice at a time when he was having panic attacks every day. The epiphany gave him the strength to retire from the 2012 US Open game he was supposed to play. Instead, he faced the media and was candid about his issues.
Mardy went on to defend mental health and its impact on athletes in particular, who were traditionally trained to suppress their emotions as it was seen as a weakness.
Mardy, who was diagnosed with Severe Anxiety Disorder, now mentors young tennis players facing some of the same issues he’s been through… and there’s a new Netflix documentary on his journey, “Untold: Breaking Point”. He is also the captain of the US Davis Cup team.
MF says it’s encouraging to see other athletes – like Naomi Osaka and Simone Bilès – talk about their own inner battles … and tell us why it’s okay for people to let others know they’re not doing well.
