Sorribes Tormo set for comeback in Chile following battle with depression

Sara Sorribes Tormo is to make her return to tennis this month following a six-month hiatus in which the Olympic doubles bronze medalist was diagnosed with depression. The former No. 32 plans to play the WTA 125 event in Colina, Chile starting on Nov. 17.

The Spaniard has not played since the Billie Jean King Cup Qualifiers in April, in which she won both her singles and doubles rubbers. In an interview with El Mundo, she said that after losing her passion for the sport, she was unsure if she would ever return.

"I couldn't even step onto a tennis court," Sorribes Tormo said. "I'd wake up in the morning and think that the more hours I had until I could train, the better. I'd step onto the court and want to leave immediately. I'd go to training and not last more than 10 minutes. I'd burst into tears in the middle of training. After I'd been out for a month, I came to play here with my mother and lasted three minutes; I had a panic attack and we had to leave.

"It was killing me not to enjoy it, because I've always loved tennis and I've always played to try and improve. I lost that passion. I just wanted the hours to pass. It was like coming to clock in. I didn't want to be there. I didn't want to go to tournaments. That, combined with a lot of anxiety, made things very difficult."

At first, almost completely out of energy, Sorribes Tormo could do little more than sleep all day. Whenever she thought she felt better, she'd relapse and need even more rest. For a player who'd made her reputation by tirelessly outlasting opponents on tour -- the 29-year-old's matches habitually passed the three-hour mark -- this was not a situation she was accustomed to.

"It was like nothing made sense," Sorribes Tormo told El Mundo.

Gradually, matters improved. There was "a lot of therapy, a lot of internal reflection and a lot of personal work." Sorribes Tormo set up a home gym so she could stay fit without leaving the house. She began to discover a love of hiking and headed out to do the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage solo -- an experience she describes as "wonderful."

Getting away from the all-consuming nature of life as a tennis pro turned out to be the key to finding her way back to the sport. Sorribes Tormo returns to the circuit with an identity beyond her results.

"f things don't go well, if I decide this isn't what I want to do, I'm at peace," she said. "Because I know there are other things out there, and I've already experienced them. I know that Sara can live without playing tennis, that I really enjoy life outside of tennis. I think that's fundamental to starting with. When you carry less baggage, you feel much lighter."

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