Nicolás Jarry opened up about the devastating health condition that sent his tennis career into a tailspin shortly after achieving his greatest professional success. The Chilean tennis player, who reached the Rome Masters 1000 final in May 2024, saw his ranking plummet from a career-high No. 16 due to a debilitating case of vestibular neuritis.
"It was very difficult, the worst semester of my life," Jarry revealed in an interview with Chilean newspaper 'El Mercurio'. "I experienced tremendous uncertainty because no doctor could tell me exactly when I would recover."
The 29-year-old's medical condition - an inflammation of a nerve in the inner ear that affects balance and causes sudden vertigo - completely derailed his momentum after losing to Alexander Zverev in the Rome final with a score of 6-4, 7-5.
Jarry's health struggles didn't just affect his physical performance. The mental toll proved equally challenging for the South American player.
"I became depressed when I returned to Chile because I believed I would never regain the level I wanted. I didn't want to get out of bed and had to speak with my psychiatrist. Those were dark moments," he admitted.
Interestingly, this difficult period gave Jarry a new perspective on his career. "I learned to appreciate tennis more," he explained. "I knew I might go a long time barely winning matches, so I tried to enjoy myself on court. It's a lesson that stays with me to this day."
Despite not being fully recovered, the Chilean has shown promising signs of returning to form. After losing in the first round of the Cincinnati Masters to Pedro Martínez (1-6, 6-4, 6-3), Jarry reached the Round of 16 at Wimbledon after fighting through the qualifying rounds. He won six consecutive matches before falling to hometown favorite Cameron Norrie in an epic 4-hour, 30-minute battle that ended 6-3, 7-6, 6-7, 6-7, 6-3.
Can Jarry climb back to his career-high ranking while still managing his health condition? His Wimbledon performance suggests the Chilean fighter isn't done making noise on the ATP Tour just yet.
