Category: Story

December 1, 2024

“Recently, things have been tough with my dad. I found out in July after Wimbledon that he has stage 4 cancer. When I found out about my dad’s diagnosis, I didn’t really know what to do. I questioned taking off the rest of the year just to be with him, but I know he wants me to play. I knew something was up for, honestly, the whole month or two in Europe while I was away during the clay court swing and leading into grass. He wasn’t feeling well and I could tell he was down. I would ask him, “What’s wrong?” He didn’t want to tell me because I was away. He wanted to wait until I came back home from the Europe swing, so that’s when I found out. I went home, and it was definitely really tough. When I came home, I saw him and didn’t even really recognize him. He lost a lot of weight. I was going to play Newport in a few weeks — that’s the first tournament leading up to the US Open swing — and at the time I was just like, “I don’t want to do this. I just want to be with (more…)

November 24, 2024

“My earliest memory of playing tennis is at the after school tennis club in the first year of primary school. It was just something I wanted to do, nobody was really forcing me. Kept me busy after school. A coach ended up asking me to go to the local club, try it out a little bit more, and then from there I was doing one or two sessions a week at night. Over the years, I just started to play more and more. When I was in Year 10 at school is when I realized it could be an actual pathway. It was also at a time where I wanted to have a bit more of a social life with my friends, and I was playing a bit less tennis. But funny enough, I was doing better in tournaments. From that moment when I was 14 or 15, I told my coach, “I believe I can do this and I want to do this. Let’s go for it.” Francis and his story was a big inspiration; it gave me a lot of belief, the fact that he made it from the situation he was in. It gave me belief that (more…)

September 12, 2024

“I was in constant pain for two and a half, three years. I was so desperate for any other alternative that could have been rewarding, that it was almost a relief to be given the option of retiring and going to school. I think the interesting thing a lot of people say is, “Wow, it must’ve been challenging.” I think the answer to that question is, “Yes and no.” It was not challenging in the sense that I’ve always felt that I’d never had a choice, right? It wasn’t like I had to stop my career because of lack of skill or desire. It was just that I couldn’t physically do it. What really struck me was when I went to college originally and I had to ask for help. I was used to always being very good. When I had to ask for help, it was a weird feeling. That was, I think, the most challenging part of the transition, but I never really felt that it was sad in the sense that I didn’t have a choice. Life doesn’t always work out the way you want it to, and you have to adapt. One thing I try to (more…)

August 25, 2024

“Going into the final, I wasn’t sure I felt like the underdog…I think I felt more overlooked. I think that the expectation of myself to do something really great weighed on me heavily. It was tough switching my mentality, being down a set, 3-1 in the final. But also, I think that’s probably the reason I’m the most proud of myself coming out of that match. If I would have continued to play the same way, I would have been off the court in 20 minutes, because my opponent was a really great player. Having to take initiative is not something I’m comfortable with, but I had to flip the switch and I had to make it fast. I just had to take that chance. I think a lot of players go through a similar thing in their development. They have a point in time where they realize if they want to be successful, they have to make a change. It’s not easy, especially when you’re so used to winning a certain way. The whole match at this point is a blur. I think what helped me pull myself out was my self-talk. It wasn’t necessarily one phrase or mantra. (more…)

August 15, 2024

“Honestly, tennis has been in my life ever since I could remember. Some kids have a lullaby – my dad took out the toys and tied tennis balls around the mobile. From the beginning, I always wanted to be a pro. My heroes were Rafa, Roger and Novak. I was always the biggest Rafa guy, and my brother was always the biggest Djokovic fan. I remember making our own posters to watch their matches in the living room that said, “Let’s go Rafa,” or “Let’s go Novak.” I would wear all the Rafa headbands and do his routines, mimic his strokes, I had the bag… From a young age, I think I was pretty gifted with hitting the ball. However, there was a time when I was probably 15, where I was just losing more matches. That was also the only year where I felt like my brother was a better player than me. I was just struggling, struggling, struggling. Some of it had to do with my game, some of it had to do with me growing. That’s the only time I can remember where I was not the happiest playing. I still loved it, but I had to (more…)

July 30, 2024

“Do I feel different now that my ranking’s changed? Not really. I know numbers change, but this is all new to me. I’m just trying to let the new experiences sink in and learn from them. I learned a lot of things throughout the three weeks at Wimbledon. I think the major thing is really that you have to fight, because it gives you a chance. Anything can happen, really. Everyone is good. The women in the qualies are just as good as the women in the main draw. To be able to play well and beat those players, it definitely brings more confidence and sureness of my game Playing in college, it was such an amazing experience. I don’t think you can find an atmosphere like college sports, the pride of being a ‘student athlete’ or the independence you gain during your time in college! It also helped improve my game in different aspects and showed me the benefits of being part of a wider team – which I really liked. When you’re surrounded by a team and coaches that try to help you every day, you improve. It’s something that I feel like more people should experience – (more…)

July 23, 2024

“From the moment I could walk my dad had a racquet in my hand. At two years old he taught me the fundamentals of the game and we grew up doing everything together. My dad growing up was my best friend, a coach, supporter, and father. He was always there for me. Now our toughest challenge isn’t on the court. Recently he was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer and in this new chapter, our roles have shifted. I find myself becoming his supporter, encouraging him through each round of treatment, just as he once did for me in every tennis match. My dad is facing a battle we never saw coming and we’re standing by him every step of the way, with love and strength.” **Please click the below link to donate to Tom Svajda’s treatment. Any type of contribution makes a big difference. Please share and donate! Thank you! https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-tom-svajdas-battle-with-cancer?lang=en_US&utm_campaign=fp_sharesheet&utm_medium=customer&utm_source=copy_link Zachary Svajda (@zachsva2002) (more…)

June 20, 2024

“I played badminton from the age of six because my mom used to play competitively so I used to go and watch her play after school. Then my badminton coach started doing mini tennis and it came to a point where I’d play tennis with him every Tuesday. I really enjoyed it. In the end, I had to choose between tennis and badminton. I picked it up quickly. By the time I was 16, 17, I played for Britain in Summer Cup events. Then, I was the number one junior under 18. Between the ages of 21 and 25 I was massively out of shape. I didn’t play a full schedule. I didn’t quite have it together at that age, I suppose. There are certain surfaces I’d be dangerous on, but I think I was a bit lost. I didn’t really have anyone around me. I just didn’t know quite how to live my life off the court in my spare time. Sometimes I find it funny looking back, and then sometimes I’m like, “Oh, mate, if I knew now how to handle it, then it would have been very different.” But do I have regrets? No. Did I learn? (more…)

June 5, 2024

“I remember picking up a tennis racket probably when I was around six. My brother was playing, and I remember picking up some balls from him at some local courts in Sydney on the synthetic grass. Ever since then, tennis has been my life. That’s honestly probably the earliest memory I have. My parents are both academically smart people. They’re both computer engineers, and didn’t touch a racket at all. My brother started playing tennis late, and I don’t think his heart was ever in it. So it was strange forging my path. My dad pushed for tennis and my mom pushed for studies, so I was torn in between. It’s a good life in Sydney and I had a good time in high school. I enjoyed it. When my dad was pushing for me to go play tennis full-time, I was actually a little hesitant to do it myself. I wasn’t a great junior and I didn’t want tennis to consume me. When I finished high school, I tried to go pro immediately in Spain. I realized very quickly I would quit in a year or two if I kept up with that. I wasn’t ready. So I chose (more…)

April 4, 2024

“I have an autoimmune arthritic condition called Ankylosing Spondylitis. I had been going through years of weird pains that would just not go away. Or I’d play a match, and even if it was only an hour-and-a-half match, I would feel like I was just run over by a bus. I ended up getting diagnosed after a pretty bad SI joint pain situation at a tournament. It rocked my world because my brother has the same condition, and it fully took him out of the game and majorly impacted his quality of life. I’m an optimistic person, but I’m also realistic, and watching it happen to someone close to me first was tough. I asked myself if it was better to just stop playing tennis or keep going. I wanted to stay in it, so I started playing more doubles. It was a tough thing to accept, because I was a singles player. It was not the essence of the sport I chose – doubles is an entirely different craft. But it’s become my passion now. I’m so grateful that I can even still play and that my body’s holding up. Last summer, I started to feel my back bothering (more…)