Zenitude. Soft music. Heated blankets. Diffusers. Through yoga. Sports fans, don’t switch screens: this article is indeed about tennis.
Posted at 5:13 p.m.
Tennis Canada will initiate an innovative project during the National Bank Open, to be held from August 5 to 14, in Montreal. He titled it Mental Break. We aim to promote mental health-focused wellness for all people who play tennis.
Including the professional players of the ATP and the WTA who will take up residence in the metropolises of Quebec and Canada at the beginning of next month.
They will have at their disposal “private sessions with well-being experts”, explains Valérie Tétreault, former player as well as director of communications at the federation.
She speaks of “meditation”, of “psychologists”. There will be “quiet rooms” in the players’ lounge to allow them to “relax, quiet their minds”. Headphones, with soothing music selected for this purpose, will also be available.
The “main pillar” of the initiative, explains Tétreault, “is the support that we want to offer to the players, the coaches, the families of our players”.
“In tennis, the word is starting to get around that we have to do more,” she says in an interview with The Press. An interview that takes place shortly after the press conference during which Eugène Lapierre presented the list of players scheduled for the tournament. We will come back to it.
Recent talk about mental health has inspired this initiative at Tennis Canada. In particular that of Naomi Osaka, who had burst into tears after comments emanating from the bleachers in Indian Wells last March.
PHOTO ED JONES, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE ARCHIVES
Naomi Osaka
With us, Bianca Andreescu has also shared her own mental health issues since her successes in 2019. The Canadian player also bears the title of ambassador of the project.
“There are problems in all sports,” says Valérie Tétreault. But in tennis especially, we know how demanding it is. It is often said that it is physically demanding, because the schedule is very very long. There is almost no off season. The players travel almost every week. There are lags. All of this brings a lot of mental weight. And maybe we don’t take it enough into consideration. »
She gives as an example the world number one, Iga Swiatek, “who is followed each tournament by a mental health coach”. Turkey’s Ons Jabeur also spoke about the psychological benefits of having a specialist coach recently.
“We’re starting,” adds Tétreault. It might be more normal in the next few years. »
I can’t wait to see how well we’re going to be able to generate conversations about mental health on the sidelines of the tournament.
Valérie Tétreault, former player and director of communications at Tennis Canada
Another interesting element of this initiative: supporters will be able to send messages of encouragement to players via postcards which will be distributed to them directly in the lounge.
“It’s a brilliant idea,” commented Eugène Lapierre, tournament director.
“My translation of that is, ‘hey, it’s just tennis. Can we breathe through our noses, have fun, admire the prowess of the best players in the world, but not not put undue pressure and treat it like it’s the end of the world?” »
Everyone will be there… or almost
Eugène Lapierre was in a good mood on Thursday.
“We are going to have a great tournament, he rejoiced in the media scrum. All the players are there. With two exceptions, Zverev and Djokovic, for all sorts of reasons. »
Alexander Zverev, second in the world, was injured at Roland-Garros. Novak Djokovic will not be able to enter Canada due to his vaccination status.
Otherwise, it is the full account. Which therefore includes the first in the world, the Russian Daniil Medvedev. As well as Canadians Denis Shapovalov and Félix Auger-Aliassime.
Even Rafael Nadal is expected in Montreal, he who had to withdraw from his semi-final at Wimbledon against Nick Kyrgios due to an abdominal tear.
PHOTO ADRIAN DENNIS, AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE
Rafael Nadal
“He wants to,” says Lapierre. That’s what he’s planning. We all held our breath when we saw him withdraw from Wimbledon. But his goal is to return in time for the Montreal tournament. »
Kyrgios, who eventually lost to Djokovic in the London final, remains the only question mark for the main draw. He is not part of it, for the moment. But only a few withdrawals, including those expected from Zverev and Djokovic, would be enough for the controversial player to hit the tennis courts at Stade IGA.
Eugène Lapierre estimates “90 to 95%” his chances of seeing him enter the main draw in Montreal, he who is “third on the list”.