Aryna Sabalenka urges Alexander Zverev to open up to his family regarding ongoing mental health struggles

After admitting that he may seek mental help therapy regarding his current state of mind, German tennis star Alexander Zverev has been advised to first talk with his immediate family members by WTA World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka.

Zverev suffered a heartbreaking first round loss at the 2025 Wimbledon Championships, falling to Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech in a five-set thriller. The third seed has had a rollercoaster season thus far, suffering several shock losses during the first half of the ATP season.

Family will be more understanding, advises Sabalenka

Following his loss to Rinderknech, Zverev finally opened up on his mental struggles. The former World No.2 revealed he felt alone and empty after his disappointing exit.

"Maybe for the first time in my life I'll probably need it," the 28-year-old told reporters when asked if he would see a therapist to help with his problems. "I've been through a lot of difficulties. I've never felt this empty before. Just lacking joy in everything that I do. It's not necessarily about tennis. Just lacking joy outside of tennis, as well."

Upon learning of his revelation, Sabalenka was sympathetic. The Belarusian stated she had been seeing a therapist early in her career, but eventually began speaking about her problems with her family members.

"Well, I had a therapist five years in my career," began Sabalenka after her second round win over Marie Bouzkova. "I stopped maybe in 2022. But it's actually crazy to hear from someone like Alexander because he surrounded himself with the family, you know?"
"It's really important to talk openly about whatever you're dealing with. Especially if you have your family, talk about what are you experiencing because if you're going to keep it inside, it's just going to destroy you.
"I think that's kind of like something happening to him. He just needs to open up to whoever is close to him. Like I think family is the best, people who can accept whatever you're dealing with."

Furthermore, Sabalenka believes talking over your problems with family members will help Zverev maintain a positive mindset going forward.

"The moment you start talk about your problems, you kind of start realizing a lot of things," added Sabalenka. "It's helping to solve them. So he just has to be a bit more open, not only to himself but just like open to his family, team, just so everyone is aware what is going on through his mind. That's the most important.
"Like me with my team, we always talk a lot. So that's why I don't need a therapist, because I have my team. We can talk about whatever. I know they're not going to judge me. They're not going to blame me. They're just going to accept it, and we are just going to work through. This is the best advice I can give Sascha."