Why are so many stars losing the joy to compete?

To the wider world since becoming a top-drawer tennis pro, Ons Jabeur was the “minister of happiness”.

- Rutvick Mehta

The Tunisian carried that tag with zestful authority, spreading her infectiously cheerful personality around the women’s tour, making almost every competitor her friend and viewer her well-wisher. To her inner self for the last couple of years, the minister was feeling the vacuum of the very term that defined her. “Deep down, I haven't truly felt happy on the court for some time now,” she said.

And so, at 30, the three-time Grand Slam finalist on Thursday announced that she was giving her sport —and her ministry —a pause. It’s not just Jabeur, several top faces have spoken up about the lack of joy they experience while giving people the thrill of aces and winners. It’s not just tennis, several voices across sports are increasingly bringing up a question that world No.1 golfer Scottie Scheffler asked ahead of the ongoing Open Championship: “What's the point?”