Karolina Muchova says tennis players deal with "a lot of pressure" and that is one of the biggest reasons behind the increase in mental health issues on the Tour.
When Naomi Osaka opened up about battling major depression and anxiety during the 2021 French Open, it came just three months after she won her fourth Grand Slam at the Australian Open.
Since then, numerous players across the ATP and WTA Tours have been more open about their own mental health. And some of them directly credited Osaka for helping them to find the courage to go public with their own issues.
During an interview with Forbes.cz, 2023 French Open runner-up Muchova was asked about mental health being a major topic in tennis and why it was the case.
"It's definitely a topic of the moment. The calendar is extremely packed, tennis is an individual sport, you face pressure, you're almost always alone – that's a lot of pressure on one person, be it a man or woman. I try to use every free moment, to completely detach myself from tennis," the 29-year-old told Forbes.cz.
Muchova hopes for a calendar change and adjustment
During the same interview, Muchova also spoke out against the current calendar structure. According to the Czech tennis star, managing the schedule long-term is impossible without it impacting a player both physically and mentally.
"It's been a long-term struggle, but I think it's finally being talked about publicly. We're trying to push for change, for more sensible planning, and for health to be seen as a priority, not a side effect of performance," the former world No. 8 added.
In March, Muchova dealt with a wrist injury and was out of action for the next two months. The Czech also battled a muscle injury late in the year. Also, it is worth mentioning that she blamed tiredness and fatigue for retiring from her Wuhan second-round match in October.
Muchova played 43 matches this year and went 26-17.
