Sure, there’s a big difference to us, but when you’re a professional athlete, both are banned substances and will derail your career. The reason Martina Hingis first retired from tennis is because she was facing a 2-year ban from having a positive cocaine test. Hingis did not have a cocaine problem (none I’ve heard whispered about anyway) as opposed to Capriati. I was using both as examples of self-destructive behavior — behavior that may have been avoided had they been allowed to take mental health breaks or therapy or better support system.
From the New York Times in 1996:
In a two-part interview with Stern, a West German weekly magazine, which was published during Wimbledon, Graf said the news media had hurt her so deeply that ''I could not fight as usual.''
''Tennis is won with the head, but my head was often not with the game,'' she said.
Since Wimbledon, Graf has been in seclusion. Bild reported today that Graf had a secret operation Monday in Heidelberg to cure a persistent sinus problem and was recovering at her home in Bruhl. Neither she nor her father could be reached for comment.
Behind the headlines and the Stern interview is the story of a young woman with exceptional athletic skills and above-average intelligence whose life and career have been completely dominated by her father since she was a child. Now, at age 21, she is beginning to pursue other interests and develop her independence. It remains to be seen whether recent events accelerate that process, although at Wimbledon Graf said she had no intention of severing her business relationship with her father.
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Her story and photos were quickly picked up by other European newspapers and magazines, and seemed to follow Graf wherever she went. Her famed ability to concentrate under pressure began crumbling and the corner-seeking forehand rockets that are her trademark began to go astray.
The normally stoic Graf also began to show emotions in public, crying after her Paris loss and smashing a hole in the locker-room wall with her racquet after the Berlin final.
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Saying she couldn't take much more, Graf threatened to leave West Germany…
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''I just hope that Steffi gets herself together and that she is able to overcome the incredible pressures that she's feeling and that she had nothing to do with,'' Martina Navratilova told reporters during Wimbledon. ''I feel sorry for that happening to her. She did nothing to deserve it and it's a real shame. I just hope she gets through it and can concentrate on tennis again 100 percent.''
Sound familiar? She retired a year later, after winning the French and getting to the finals of Wimbledon. Like I said, there have been lots of instances of tennis players openly struggling with their mental health, Naomi Osaka just put a name to it and some have criticized her for it.