Month: February 2020

February 23, 2020

February 23, 2020 “You get used to it once it becomes a habit. For me, I enjoyed discovering another side of myself, another personality. I like understanding more about the world, in order to share with others. I don’t think many people would think I would be where I am now, but my PhD in Sports Science has opened up new opportunities. Injuries are never easy to deal with, as it takes away from your tennis, but it gave me a chance to study. Many tennis players don’t ever have a chance to see the other side because of people around them. There is always an idea that school is something you can come back to if your tennis career doesn’t work out. They feel that if you just stay focused on only tennis that’s the way to succeed, but it’s not always true. With my education I have interacted with so many different people, on different levels, in so many different fields, that I would never have had without it. Through my education it has allowed me to believe in myself more than ever. I can only picture myself playing another four or five years on tour. It may (more…)

February 21, 2020

February 21, 2020 “I grew up playing in a very small town in Germany called Warstein. It was very tough to find partners for training sessions, which is why we could never really schedule anything. My mom would pick me up from school with packed lunch so I was prepared for practice. She then brought me to the bus stop, which was about a 30 minute ride to the train station. The train ride was about 45 minutes which was where I used to do my homework. After practice and my return home, it would be about nine at night. At that age it was very long days. I always had this dream of becoming a professional tennis player. It helped that I had two parents who coached close to home. I remember when I was young waking up at 5:30 in the morning to watch the Australian Open for a few hours right before school. There were definitely times when I was late for school because I wouldn’t stop watching. I would then rush home after school to catch the night session. It didn’t matter how good I was, I always had the desire to be where those players (more…)