Tennis ace who’s won £23m in heartbreaking admission – ‘No reason to l | Tennis | Sport

Russian tennis star Andrey Rublev has opened up about suffering from severe depression and anxiety attacks, which even led to him questioning his own existence.

The 28-year-old World No. 16, who was once ranked as high as fifth, admitted that his mental health problems unfolded after an unexpected first-round defeat to Argentina’s Francisco Comeshane at Wimbledon in 2024.

Speaking to the Guardian, Rublev said: “Now I feel much better. I’m not where I want to be yet, but I finally have a foundation. Six months ago I was going through the worst period of my life. After Wimbledon I had no reason to live. It sounds dramatic, but the thoughts in my head were destroying me. There was no more time for tennis. The problem was in me. I couldn’t handle it anymore.

Rublev has amassed over £23million in prize money across his 11-year ATP career, winning 17 singles titles, but is renowned for his erratic on-court behaviour, which has at times resulted in him hitting his head and legs with his racket.

He has now admitted that these actions were outward signs of his own internal problems. Rublev sort medication to help him out of his dark place but found assistance from his coach Marat Safin to be more beneficial.

“I took antidepressants, but they didn’t help me. In the end, I said to myself ‘I’m not taking anything anymore,'” he said. “Safin helped me understand many things. I started working with a psychologist. I’m learning a lot about myself.

“You can have everything in life, but if there is something in you that you don’t want to see, you will never be happy. When you find the problem and accept it, you will get better.”

Despite his challenges, Rublev has earned over £2.3million in prize money this year and won the ATP 500 hard court title in Doha, Qatar, back in February.

He exited the Paris Masters at the Round of 16 stage last month as losing 6-7, 3-6 to American Ben Shelton.