Nov 19 (Reuters) – The demanding schedule on the ATP and WTA circuits can have a damaging influence on the psychological well being of gamers, tennis nice Roger Federer stated on Saturday.

The 20-time grand slam champion retired from the game in September after travelling all over the world plenty of instances throughout a profession that spanned nearly 1 / 4 of a century.

While Federer was a month shy of his fortieth birthday when he performed his final aggressive singles match, the Swiss admitted the toll of chasing titles and rating factors on a week-in, week-out foundation can take its toll on gamers.

“You’re supposed to show strength. But we’re not machines, we’re human beings,” Federer stated at a press convention in Tokyo.

“When gamers retire at a brilliant younger age, I completely perceive it. We see it sometimes. I all the time really feel it’s such a pity, as a result of there may nonetheless be a lot happening sooner or later.

“The tour is tough… the travel, the practice, the jetlag. Nobody is allowed to say, ‘I’m tired today,’ because it looks like you’re weak, and that’s why players sometimes end up with mental problems.”

Quite a few tennis professionals have spoken out about their psychological well being struggles, together with Naomi Osaka and Nick Kyrgios whereas Ash Barty shocked the tennis world earlier this 12 months when she retired from the game lower than two months after profitable the Australian Open aged simply 25.

Federer added that the strict doping regime additionally places stress on gamers, who’ve to tell related authorities about their whereabouts every day.

“We have to fill out the doping forms every single day, one hour during the day, where you are,” the 41-year-old Swiss stated.

“You’re all the time conscious behind your head they might be coming any second, particularly in that hour.

“I do not suppose I used to be that a lot conscious of it, how a lot that thought is all the time there, and it rides with you, till you retire and then you definitely realise that stress all drops away.”

Reporting by Tommy Lund in Gdansk, modifying by Pritha Sarkar

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