Salisbury takes a break from his career to preserve his mental health: "I didn't really enjoy participating in many of the tournaments I took part in"
A familiar face in doubles for several years now, Joe Salisbury has decided to take a break from the professional tour. Having had a very good year partnered with his compatriot Neal Skupski, the 33-year-old player reached the finals of Roland-Garros, the US Open, and the ATP Finals in 2025.
Winner of 17 men's doubles titles in his career, including four Grand Slams and two at the Masters alongside Rajeev Ram, the London native has decided to take a few months off from tennis and does not plan to return to the tour before April 2026.
"It has sometimes been difficult for me to manage my anxiety, which at times made me want to stop playing and competing throughout the year. I think I handled this situation well and managed to get myself into a positive enough mindset on the court to deliver good performances in most of the matches I played.
But I think it cost me a lot of emotional and mental energy. That means I didn't really enjoy participating in many of the tournaments I took part in. I told Neal (Skupski) that I would like to play with him when I return. But if he does well with his new partner and decides to continue, I will look to play with someone else," Salisbury notably stated to the BBC in recent hours.
