Novak Djokovic Blames Demanding Tennis Schedule Amid Players’ Growing Complaints of Burnout: 'It’s a Vicious Circle'

Novak Djokovic talked about the exhausting lifestyle of tennis players during his Wimbledon campaign. He moved into the fourth round after dispatching Miomir Kecmanovic.

At the press conference later, the Serb gave his opinion on why many tennis players feel burned out and deal with mental health struggles issues. He gave three reasons, one of which is the negative comments players see on social media and the other two things are the demands of tennis and the hectic 11-month calendar.

In my opinion, children are pushed too soon into a very strict professionalism, before they have developed emotional intelligence, a fundamental part of psychological preparation for life.

Many top players have blamed the schedule for forcing them to play without rest to maintain their position. And if they skip tournaments, it can affect their rankings, mostly when they choose not to play the mandatory events.

When talent is identified, they are pushed professionally. ‘Play, play, play’…agents appear, with all kinds of interests, and push the player to the limit to make the most money. It’s a vicious circle, and if a player misses something there, it can affect their psychology and how they live their life.

Novak Djokovic added

The discussions about mental health at Wimbledon started after World No.3 Alexander Zverev‘s opening-round defeat. Zverev revealed that since his straight-set defeat to World No.1 Jannik Sinner in the Australian Open final this year, he felt quite lonely and struggled to find joy in everything he did.

Andy Roddick gives his verdict on Novak Djokovic’s chance to win Wimbledon

Many believe that Wimbledon is the last as well as the best chance for Novak Djokovic to add another Grand Slam title to his tally of 24. Because at Wimbledon, he played every final since 2018 (before this season), losing only in the previous two years, to World No.2 Carlos Alcaraz.