Former tennis great Andre Agassi’s new autobiography, “Open” should more appropriately have been titled, “Closed”. Closed is how Andre was for most of his life. Although depressed, confused and conflicted for long periods of time, he apparently suffered silently. As great as his tennis accomplishments were, had he reached out for professional help earlier on, he might have achieved even more on the tennis court and suffered far less in his personal life and psyche. I find it hard to believe that except for his ex-wife, Brooke Shields, none of his inner circle nor family ever pushed him in that direction.
Psychological Training
Given the stressors on a child prodigy and professional athletes, I believe psychological “training” should be required and is every bit as important as the technical training and physical conditioning athletes undergo.