Joe Salisbury Takes Break From Tennis Due to Severe Anxiety

Six-time Grand Slam doubles champion Joe Salisbury has announced that he will step away from tennis for several months. Salisbury said he is struggling with strong anxiety that has affected his body and mind. Because of this, he feels he needs time away from the sport. He shared his story in an interview with BBC Sport, explaining that he does not expect to return before April.

Salisbury said his anxiety became very difficult to manage this year. He described having heart palpitations, which felt like his heart was beating all over his body. He also said his body often felt shaky and as if it was vibrating. These physical symptoms made him feel uncomfortable and made it hard for him to enjoy tennis or even focus on playing.

He also said he sometimes felt sick to his stomach. This caused problems with eating and sleeping. Salisbury explained that these symptoms would come at different times throughout the year, and they made him feel fear and dread before matches.

Even though Salisbury was still able to play tennis at a high level, he said the emotional and mental stress of dealing with anxiety was becoming too much. He explained that he could manage the anxiety while playing, but doing so took extra energy. Because of this, competing on the tour stopped feeling enjoyable for him. He said there were many tournaments this year where he did not feel good emotionally, even when he was performing well on the court.

Salisbury had a busy and successful season with his doubles partner Neal Skupski. They finished as runners-up at six tournaments, including the French Open and the U.S. Open. They also reached the final of the ATP Tour Finals in Turin, where they lost to Harri Heliovaara and Henry Patten.

In 2022, Salisbury reached the biggest achievement of his career when he became the world No. 1 doubles player. He was only the third British man ever to hold a world No. 1 ranking in singles or doubles, joining Andy Murray and Jamie Murray. This year, he finished ranked No. 10 in the world.

However, despite these positive results, Salisbury felt that continuing to play without addressing his anxiety would only make things worse. Because of his break, he is expected to miss the Australian Open in January.

Salisbury said that he has not talked to many people about his anxiety before now. But he hopes that by sharing his struggles, others will feel more comfortable talking about their own mental health problems. He believes that many people in tennis and other sports are dealing with similar issues.

Mental health has become a more open topic in professional tennis in recent years. Several well-known players have spoken about their struggles. Naomi Osaka said in 2021 that she had dealt with long periods of depression and decided to take a break from the sport. Amanda Anisimova also took an indefinite break in 2023, saying that life on the tennis tour had become unbearable for her.

By sharing his experience, Salisbury joins those players in encouraging more honest conversations about mental health in sports.