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High-Level Athletes Are Changing Their Perspective And Definition Of Success, So Must We All

March 23, 2022, by Christina McClelland

Yesterday, 25-year-old Ashleigh “Ash” Barty retired from professional tennis while ranked no.1 in the world and on the heels of her 2022 Australian Open win. Her unexpected departure from the world stage has left many fans confused. Why would an athlete quit while on top? Why stop at the top of your game?

            Ash Barty did not have to hear the questions to make her answer clear.

“There was a perspective shift in me in the second phase of my career that my

happiness wasn’t dependent on the results and success for me is knowing that I’ve given absolutely everything, everything I can.”

-Ash Barty

            This is the third time that Barty has stepped away from the game, though in the past, retirement was not mentioned. In 2014, Barty took an indefinite break from the pro tour citing depression and the pressures generated by early success. Barty was then 17-years-old.

            Now, five years later, Ash Barty’s recent comments echo dozens of others from high-level athletes regarding the need for their own redefining of success and acknowledgement of mental health struggles. In some tragic cases, the matter is one of life and death.

“The mental aspect obviously got me during Tokyo, and it’s, like, some of those things you can’t ignore,

and my body didn’t ignore…I’m completely fine with stepping away because I’ve been through so much. I’ve accomplished so much.” -Simone Biles

            Simone Biles, Naomi Osaka, Michael Phelps, Imani Boyette, Ricky Williams, Amanda Beard, Delonte West—and perhaps most surprising of all—Serena Williams, with a staggering 23 (singles) Grand Slam titles—have all spoken publicly about their own battles with depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts. This list represents only a tiny fraction of athletes talking about the realization of how years-long pressure to compete—and excel—takes a toll not only on the physical body, but the psychological body as well.

            Mental pressure is nothing new to athletes. There is an entire specialty within the medical field of Psychology dedicated to sports and optimization of athletic performance. To be fair, pressure that athletes feel is not always from outside influences. Speaking from experience as a former Division I athlete, my toughest opponent, and the one hardest to please, was myself. I held myself to a higher standard than any coach ever asked of me. Why? I’m not exactly sure where internal drive comes from. The thrill of winning? The crushing devastation of defeat, and not wanting to repeat that feeling; resulting in an overdrive of desire to succeed? Or perhaps it is the two words that athletes value the most: The Best.

“There were no red flags…there is stress to be perfect, to be the best, to be no.1”

-Gina Meyer, mother of Stanford soccer star Katie Meyer, found dead in her on-campus residence on March 1, 2022. Cause of death, suicide. According to the American College of Sports Medicine, mental health issues are on the rise among college athletes.

            As a junior and collegiate athlete, my singular focus on being the best overtook my ability to see the effects the burden of “excellence or nothing” was having on my body and brain. In college, I struggled with bulimia, in my 20s and 30s, depression and anxiety, and then at age 40, considered taking my own life. I treated my expectations in life the same as I did in my sport.

            You have it all, people told me--and, look at what all you have accomplished. But for me, one breach in perfection was enough to do me in. Failure was not an option. I realize now, my thought patterns were completely black and white without anything in between.

“With lots of therapy, I have learned to live in the gray sometimes—and that’s OK.” -Christina McClelland

        Still, I have to wonder what role spectators play in the mental health of an athlete? Do we too, put undue pressure on young athletes in college and on our favorite sports figures?  Coaches and trainers certainly have influence, as well as internal drive, but there is another player in the game so to speak. We, the spectators, the crowd, the ones who pay money to watch an athlete perform are without a doubt, part of the bigger picture. Spectators are what make professional sports exist. If not for spectators, there would be no fans, no commercial endorcements, no prize money. Fans bring incredible value to athletes of all kinds across the globe.

We, as fans, create the electric communal energy and atmosphere in a sports venue. Our cheers and giant fist pumps as we yell “YES” when our favorite sports figure achieves “success” is contagious. For some, the arena’s energy is what an athlete lives for. As a child, I closed my eyes and envisioned hundreds, and sometimes thousands, of screaming fans cheering and chanting for me and I could not imagine feeling more intoxicating.

But there are also the boos, the audible collective sigh of thousands when a shot is missed, or a ball dropped. The athlete didn’t do what the fan wanted. They failed in that one moment. They didn’t live up to our expectations. For a spectator, the feeling of disappointment is fleeting for the most part. But for the athlete, one missed play or one misstep, can be mental torture if not managed.

Professional athletes get paid big bucks [to compete] remains a common retort to any mention of mental illness in sports, despite the growing data showing an increasing prevalence of mental health issues among athletes.

Do athletes know how to get over it? Yes. And to a large degree, athletes are masters of powering on and pushing through hard times. We are the most adept at covering pain, both physical and mental, when it is overwhelming. Athletes know better than any how to “fake it ‘til you make it.”

We are stoic. We are strong. We are resilient—until we are not.

In short, high-level athletes are human. They do their best. They, above all others, want to succeed. They want to win, and hate losing. Whether the drive derives from DNA or environment, no athlete competes with an expectation of defeat, monetary benefit or not.

I feel encouraged seeing athletes on all levels speaking out about their own struggles with mental illness. It sheds light on a long-time hidden pain that is now, finally, making it acceptable to acknowledge and seek treatment. My hope is that up-and-coming young tennis players, swimmers, football players, and all other athletes and coaches, take the warning signs of mental illness seriously. And, that we, the fans, have nothing but grace for our heroes on the field, court, mat, and platform.

I will end with a quote from Rafael Nadal in his 2021 post-match interview after losing a heartbreaking 5-set Quarter-final match to Stefanos Tstsipas. Nadal went on to win the 2022 Australian Open.

“I tried my best in every single moment…I stayed positive all the time, stay fighting…and that’s it, another story in my career…another match that I lost…I must accept and keep going.” -Rafael Nadal, Jan 2021