On the court, everything is laid bare. You see the players’ emotions in their movement, their grunts, their frustration—it’s all there. But what about behind the scenes? Rarely do we get a glimpse of their lives off the court. Almost never do we know what’s going on in their minds. More often than not, their downtime is all about family and making good memories in the little time they get. But for Nicolas Jarry, one of those moments took an unexpected—and frightening—turn.

At this year’s Italian Open, the World No. 100 had more than just tennis on his mind. His family was visiting, all of them staying together at a hotel in Rome during the tournament. One evening, after dinner, they came back to a surprise they never expected. “After dinner we returned to the hotel and found the room in disarray. Nothing had been taken, but my first reaction was to change hotels and feel safe. We made the move that same night,” Nicolas told Chilean newspaper La Tercera via Clay Tennis.

So, what exactly happened? That part is still a mystery. According to Clay Tennis, the Jarry family asked the hotel for access to security camera footage—but the request was denied. Neither Jarry’s camp nor the ATP commented at the time. And just like that, the unsettling incident was left hanging unanswered.

Somehow, Nicolas Jarry still stepped onto the court for his round-of-32 match. He dug in and beat Italy’s Stefano Napolitano. “They were very intense days,” he recalled about that week—one that ended with his first-ever Masters 1000 final, where he finished runner-up to Alexander Zverev. But the strange hotel episode wasn’t the only thing weighing on him in Rome.

Nicolas Jarry now sees that tournament as the beginning of something far more serious—vestibular neuritis, an inflammation of the vestibular nerve. “I played the first three or four matches with a vertigo episode, everything spinning. I thought it was just nerves, but later I realised it wasn’t,” he said. And yet, even with the world tilting around him, he came close to conquering Rome.

It’s been a rough run for the Chilean, who was ranked as high as No. 16 just last year. In recent months, both physical and mental struggles have chipped away at his game. And he’s never been one to shy away from speaking about it.

Nicolas Jarry talks about the lowest point in his career

The 29-year-old World No. 100 has had a season full of highs, lows, and pure grit. At Wimbledon, Jarry powered into the last 16 before falling to Cameron Norrie in a five-set heartbreaker—a crushing blow after all his hard work. Just last year, in May 2024, he hit a career-high of No. 16 after a dazzling run to the Internazionali BNL d’Italia final. But the peak didn’t last.

The main culprit? Vestibular neuritis. It’s an inflammation of the vestibular nerve, which connects the inner ear to the brain, often triggered by a virus. In Jarry’s case, it caused vertigo, dizziness, and balance issues—nightmares for any athlete. He kept playing, but his results told the story of the battle.

Speaking to El Mercurio, Nicolas Jarry admitted that late 2024 into early 2025 brought one of the toughest fights of his life—on and off the court. “When I returned to Chile, I became depressed. I didn’t want to get out of bed and I had to talk to my psychiatrist to start taking something that would help me. But in those dark moments, I thought I might not play at the level I wanted to,” he said.

He’s still grinding to find his rhythm. After Wimbledon came two early stumbles—first-round exits at the Generali Open and Cincinnati. Now, the US Open looms. And if SW19 was any hint, maybe New York is where Nicolas Jarry lets his best tennis rip. What do you think?