Mental health issues have come up in tennis pretty often in the recent times. Tennis star Sloane Stephens, in an exclusive interview, talks about her psychological development and what factors have contributed to her wellbeing.

The issue came into limelight when the announcement of Naomi Osaka dropping out of the French Open last year became a sensational topic of discussion. This shed light on the mental health of players and athletes and what needs to be done to ensure they continue to love the sport they chose.

Stephens on the mental health issue of the players

In an exclusive interview to ES, Sloane opens up about prioritizing mental health and the moment she realized she had to focus upon it more than anything else. The American player points out that her mother is a psychologist, which has always made her conscious of her emotions.

“My mom’s a psychologist. So I grew up always focusing on my mental health and my physical well-being and just how I’m feeling. I think obviously being living in a house with a psychologist is I feel like I have always had to be more aware and so being a professional athlete on top of that.”

The American star further elaborated on the topic as she continued, “When you are just feeling overwhelmed, I think my whole career, my life, I have tried to be very aware and tried to isolate how I am feeling.”

READ MORE: ‘More Than an Athlete’ – Sloane Stephens Opens Up During Launch of New White House Task Force With Vice-President Kamala Harris

All in all, Stephens appreciated the players are prioritizing their mental health. This has become a prevalent issue in the realm of tennis now. The American concluded by saying that she is glad that players have decided to prioritize their mental health over everything else.  

“It’s a good thing that now professional athletes are more interested in taking care of themselves and understanding what they need all around as a whole.”

Sloane Stephens on and off the court

Sloane Stephens was a part of the discussion regarding it at the White House roundtable in February this year. The 2017 US Open winner also brought up the issue of cyber bulling during the discussion.

Moreover, players like Naomi Osaka, Bianca Andreescu have taken breaks from their professional careers to get better and focus on their well-being.

WATCH THIS STORY: Serena Williams vs Rafael Nadal, net worth comparison 

The American player is set to kick start her grass court season at WTA 250 Bad Homburg Open in Germany. This year did not prove to be very fruitful for Sloane as he managed to win just the WTA 250 Guadalajara title in Mexico.