Fatigue is not simply exhaustion. Physically, it can be body aches, muscle weakness, poor concentration and excessive sleepiness. Psychologically, depression and anxiety can contribute to fatigue, too. “It’s not just physically tough. It’s emotionally hard as well. The way we live. For me to start feeling like that, feeling a bit of mental fatigue and physical fatigue, I thought ‘if I’m feeling like this, there must be others feeling like this as well’,” Alley said. She is among the approximately 50 per cent of elite athletes currently struggling with fatigue and related health concerns, according to leading sports medical professionals.