French Open: He suffered depression, received support from Djokovic and won his first Grand Slam match

Among some of the stories from the 2025 French Open, Federico Gomez’s might be one of the most emotional ones. The Argentinian, who is world No. 144, recorded his first Grand Slam match in his debut on a main draw at 28 years old. While it might seem like a small triumph, it comes just months after he confessed he was struggling with his mental health and received support from other stars, such as Novak Djokovic.

Gomez, who is from Merlo, revealed in heartfelt letter that over the past six months he had gone through an emotional crisis marked by suicidal thoughts and the temptation to quit tennis.“It’s hard for me to write this without crying, but I believe it’s the best decision I could have made to lift this heavy burden off my shoulders,” he wrote.

The support he received after his statement was overwhelming, especially within the ATP Tour. Djokovic, who is currently world No. 6, was one of the top players who reached out to Gomez, even inviting him to practice with him in Miami. “I feel a lot of empathy for him. I’ve already told him I’m here to help in any way, in case he wants to share,” the Serbian told ESPN at the time.

Fede Gomez plays at the 2025 French Open (Getty Images)

But that’s not the only thing. Before the start of the French Open, he once again trained with Djokovic as a sparring partner in the lead-up to the first round in the match. Also, when he learned about the result, he congratulated him while speaking with ESPN. “I’m so happy for him because he is a great person and he is always fighting on court,” he said.

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Best result of the season for Gomez

His win in Paris represents one of his best results of the season, after not being able to get past the qualifying rounds in Australia, Indian Wells, or Miami. “It still hasn’t sunk in—it’s been tough months,” he told the press, after beating American Aleksandar Kovacevic (world No. 76) by 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-1.

Despite his mental health struggles, Gomez had his best professional season in 2024, winning three Challenger titles in Milan, Trieste, and Guayaquil, and reached his career-high ranking of No. 135.

Yet the player admits that this success came with deep personal challenges. “2024 was definitely the best year of my tennis career, but at the same time, the worst year for me personally,” he said. However, it seems like things are starting to turn around.