Andy Roddick makes his feelings known on Carlos Alcaraz breaking 'taboo' with mental health openness
Andy Roddick lauded Carlos Alcaraz for opening up about his struggles with mental health issues during his on-court interviews and other public forums. Taboo around mental health has been a key issue among athletes, and the hesitation to be expressive about it has been due to the fear of being ridiculed or labelled as 'weak.'
The Spaniard, however, seems not to have paid heed to the stigma and has broken away from the discomfort around expressing his struggles to cope with mental stress during pressure situations. After his loss at Indian Wells, he said:
“I didn't approach the match in the best way that I could. So I was nervous during the whole day, in the practice before the match."
This statement was greatly appreciated by Roddick on the latest episode of The Andy Roddick Podcast, as he praised Carlos Alcaraz for being honest about himself and his challenges. He discussed how mental health struggles have hampered players like Naomi Osaka's game and have also led many to take time off from the sport due to stress.
"I think he's the first one we're seeing of the generation where it's not taboo or you're not like you know like you said 29 before it's like okay 'I'm a f**king adult I can talk about what I'd like to talk about because it's important to me and hopefully it'll help someone,'" he said.
"He seems like the first person who actually like talks about it in real time and doesn't actually care enough and/or the world is like a more comfortable place to say these things into," he added.
Carlos Alcaraz also faced a defeat at the Barcelona Open last week while dealing with an issue with his leg.
Carlos Alcaraz raised fitness concerns after the Barcelona loss
Carlos Alcaraz was seen taking a medical timeout during the second set of his final clash against Holger Rune in Barcelona last week. This incident raised concerns over his fitness as he struggled with an issue in his leg. He later clarified that it was nothing major but highlighted how demanding the sport was, having played 10 matches in 12 days, after his loss to the Dane.
In addition, Alcaraz also took the opportunity to show his respect towards Rafael Nadal, who showed exemplary tenacity on the clay swing playing consecutive tournaments on the surface, and winning a majority of them.
The 21-year-old is expected to be back on the court in Madrid, hopefully, in complete health.