Video: Fish On Therapy For Mental Illness, Dimitrov Fight and TV Gig

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Video: Fish On Therapy For Mental Illness, Dimitrov Fight and TV Gig

Former sparring partners Mardy Fish and Grigor Dimitrov once nearly came to blows on court during a Hopman Cup dust-up after pelting each other with blasts during a mixed doubles match.

The pair were swinging away again with menacing intent—this time as doubles partners—knocking out 2014 Wimbledon doubles champions Jack Sock and Vasek Pospisil in their Washington, D.C. opener.

Things got so heated during their 2012 Hopman Cup clash, a tournament official stepped in between the pair to prevent the conflict—that spiked with smashes and spitting—escalating into a physical altercation.

Asked how his relationship with Dimitrov has evolved from fight club to fan club, Fish joked "we still hate each other."

"I'd like to think we've both matured," said Fish of Dimitrov, who was also his partner in his Indian Wells' comeback last March. "That wasn't my finest moment. But he's a great kid. I was a fan of his then. I'm still a fan of his now. I'm happy to help him out whenever he needs and thankful he's playing with me. He's a great player. He's got a huge future for sure."

The 33-year-old American is closing the curtain on his competitive career after his U.S. Open farewell later this month. Fish said creating career closure on his terms infuses him with a sense of freedom on court.

"The last few years I never really had a schedule, [it was] sort of just let's play here and see how I feel and maybe go there," Fish said. "Even the beginning of this year, Indian Wells and Miami, it was the same way. [Knowing I'm retiring] helps me, I think, it helps me in the back of my mind know that I can sort of lay it all out and see where it puts me.

To be able to play the last tournament because I want it to be the last tournament is something that's really important to me and has been for quite some time."

The son of a tennis teaching pro, Fish cracked the Top 10 for the first time on April 18, 2011, the same season he reached the Wimbledon quarterfinals and three consecutive finals during the North American summer hard court season.

In the four years since he has battled physical and mental issues. Fish was diagnosed with a heart ailment and underwent cardiac catheter ablation procedure on May 23, 2012. He suffered from anxiety linked to his heart issues, weight loss, bouts of depression. Fish went into a spiral culminating with his withdrawal from a scheduled fourth-round match against Roger Federer at the 2012 U.S. Open.

Discussing his own mental health issues openly—including conversations with fellow pros—has been therapeutic.

"I'm very open about it. Not everybody is. Lots of people deal with mental illness and suffer from mental illness. Everyone's different," Fish said. "I feel like when I talk about it, it makes me feel better about it. I have spoken to a few players on the men's and women's side about it, about their struggles. I'm willing to talk to whoever wants to talk about it.

"I spoke last week to, not a player, but someone who worked for the tournament just about what he or she was going through at the time. A lot of people are very private with it because it's not a very macho thing to admit. It's obviously something that's opened my eyes to a whole different world of issues and problems that millions and millions of Americans have and suffer from. I'm just trying to bring awareness to it and help out in anyway that I can."

Fish said he's always willing to share his experiences with fellow players in an effort to help.

"If I can help one person, one athlete, whoever get through it, I'm happy to do it," Fish said. "I hope to help as much as I can and just share my experiences and share my sort of path to feeling better and getting my life back."

Part of that process includes Fish appearing on air as a Tennis Channel contributor during the network's Citi Open coverage this week.

"I've got a lot of friends that work for the Tennis Channel. They saw I wasn't playing this week so they offered to see if I wanted to come here and try it out," Fish said of his TV role. "Just sort of a fun, try-out thing just to see how it goes."

Good friend and sometime doubles partner Andy Roddick, who served as a BBC analyst during Wimbledon, offered Fish some broadcasting advice though he chuckled trying to remember exactly what that was.

"I've asked [Andy] and Justin Gimelstob, who's been there for a long time, and Brett Haber who gives me tips and stuff. I'm not quick witted as those guys," Fish said. "Andy's really quick and Justin's really quick. [They told me] explain why it's happening not what is happening... maybe something like that. I really took it to heart."

Photo credit: Citi Open

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