Category: Story

February 25, 2021

“I started playing tennis at age six. I would interrupt my older brother and play during his practice. My parents dedicated their lives to my tennis and my dad drove me to practice every morning before work. I fell in love with the feeling of being on court and winning matches because of your will. But I grew up in a society where people appreciate you only when you win. They do not realize how much work goes into each victory. You also have to work on other aspects to become a complete person. Each life experience defines me but there is still a long road to develop. Perhaps I am halfway there. At fifteen, I traveled to Thailand for a tournament. Before my first match, I felt very tired and sick so I went to the hospital. I was diagnosed with mononucleosis. I was very angry and disappointed. I stayed in the hospital with an IV for weeks and could not move or swallow because of the pain. My body was covered in rashes and I lost over 20 pounds. I thought I was never going to get back on the court. My dad slept on the hospital couch (more…)

February 21, 2021

#MyBTR– For 40 years tennis has been a part of my life including a tennis journey with my daughter Sadie. Sadie, ranked UKs no1, a huge potential, winning over 40 competitions across the UK at 9. Sadie’s passion is tennis; life with only tennis in our minds.A few days after Sadie died I needed to return to tennis; to my community, to what we both love so much. Tennis helps me cope. The mental battle is immense; the only way I can handle it is via tennis. The trauma of the day Sadie suffered a sudden and unexplained anaphylactic shock; constantly at the front of my mind. What’s stopping it from exploding is tennis.As a family we started a foundation. Its aim to reach children in schools and clubs, giving them the chance to be introduced to the sport no matter where they are from, become more athletic in day to day activities. Providing opportunities and pathways; being inspired. Sadie inspired me and people she met. During a national competition; reaching the final, between matches doing anything to keep moving and focused. Passing her opponent, Sadie stopped, ‘Come and warm up with me. Let’s get ready together, it will be (more…)

February 14, 2021

#MyBTR- “Tennis has changed my life, in a great way! 2013 was somewhat a big year for me, full of events of both good and bad. It pretty much reaches from getting bullied, to finding the sport I love and my dad receiving a cancer diagnosis. A year full of emotion and growth. Back then I was a very overweight teenager, I was shy and afraid not to “fit in”, yet I considered myself as happy and always tried my hardest to stay positive. My tennis journey started at the beginning of that year with watching a video of @vichka35 , on my search for a sport I would enjoy. Something about her positive attitude I could relate to and her game that fascinated me, that gave me the motivation to try tennis myself. But it wasn’t until about 6 months later until I was on court the first time because an unfortunate incident came in between. A series of teasing and bullying hit me and my last bits of self confidence were destroyed. My constant fear it could happen again anytime and anywhere kept me from starting. So finally after a few months I managed to gather all my confidence and (more…)

February 11, 2021

#LegendaryBTR- “At age 4, I watched the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles and said I wanted to win a gold medal. I played soccer and tennis. My grandfather put tennis on me and I decided to dedicate myself to the sport. I started to play well. At age 15, I earned my first ATP point. I was called to play the Davis Cup and the next year, I made my debut. My fellow countryman Marcelo Rios was number one in the world at age 22 so my country had high expectations for me. I was playing my last year in the junior circuit and felt pressure from 17 million people in Chile. I like it when I feel pressure. By age 19, I was already in the Top 100 after only one year on tour. I was very young to be having good results. These results made me believe that I could do something big in tennis. But every year is different and you start to ask how good you are or where you are going to be in the future. Could I be so good that people think about me? Questions pass through your mind and you need (more…)

February 7, 2021

#CelebrityBTR – “My love for tennis started ten years ago after a conversation with Venus Williams. She offered lessons and I started playing. After winning the Super Bowl, I did not think tennis would be very tough. But the technique is quite important and small things go to chance. The professionals make it look easy but when you step on the court, the ball goes all over the place. Tennis requires control and a lot of skill. Every year, Venus brought friends together for a mini tournament. The first year, I was not good. I played doubles with Venus’ sister and we lost. I found a tennis coach at Lifetime Fitness and learned the basics. I had a lot of room for improvement. I did not understand the game so I watched professional matches. I saw Venus play at the Miami Open, US Open and Wimbledon. It was nerve-wracking to watch and I held my breath during points. Ten years later, I played Venus in the semifinals of her mini-tournament. She had to play with her nondominant hand and I beat her but lost in the finals. When I left the Minnesota Vikings to join the Baltimore Ravens, I found (more…)

February 4, 2021

“My mom worked so I spent most of my childhood with my grandma. She took me to school and practice every day since it was dangerous to travel on my own. We lived in the Southern part of Moscow and I traveled an hour and a half through the city to get to practice. My grandma was getting old and it was difficult for her to walk from one bus stop to another. At some point, I told my mom, “I don’t know if my grandma is taking me to practice or if I am taking my grandma to practice.” At 19, my grandma passed away while we were in Russia for the Fed Cup. My mom was not sure how to tell me so I did not know for two days. When I heard the news, I was with my team in the hotel. We were scheduled to face France in the finals and I had to play a deciding doubles match. I knew my grandma was watching over me so I wanted to play for her. If I succeeded, I knew she would be happy. Focusing on her and playing for my country made me stronger and I (more…)

January 28, 2021

“At age four, My dad put a racquet in my hand. I picked up basketball a few years later but when the time came I chose tennis without hesitation. By eight, I wanted to be a professional tennis player. I cannot remember a time when I wanted to do anything else. I am in my second year playing a full tour schedule, one of the biggest differences is the social life. In juniors, players are focused on the court but spend most of their time off court together. On the professional circuit, players aren’t big on fellowship. I did not know many people when I entered the tour and everyone was much more focused on themselves. Over time, I found a good balance where I have fun but know when to get serious. I try my best to surround myself with the right people. I never questioned my path. Tennis is where I can express myself. In 2019, my mom was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. My parents did not tell me for three months. I was on the road playing tournaments and they did not want me to worry. When I found out, I did not know how to help (more…)

January 21, 2021

“At age 8, I played my first tournament. There were three players in the draw and I lost to all of them. The other two players got gifts but I got nothing. I cried a lot. My grandparents tried to cheer me up. They did not expect me to have such an intense reaction. I was young and did not understand the impact of results.  At age 13, my grandfather died. He was a big part of my life and this was the first time I lost someone I loved. It was a tough timeand nobody paid attention to me. For weeks, I did not want to study or go to practice. I would arrive at the courts and tell my parents I was too sick to play. I took time off from tournaments. For the first time, I got bad grades at school. When I had to move a test date, the principal said I needed to focus on school instead of tennis. My mom considered this possibility. I was bummed and promised her I could do both. My mom did not want me to have a tutor because it is easier to understand life when you study independently. When you do homework by yourself, (more…)

January 14, 2021

“My parents gave everything they had so I could play tennis. They sacrificed money and property. I worked hard because it was a tough time for my family and I wanted to prove tennis was not useless. I put a lot of pressure on myself because I wanted to change our situation. I was not playing well and my results were pretty bad. It was tough because the tennis world is very unstable. I wanted to stop playing tennis and felt like my career was a waste of money because I was not good enough. I lost motivation to practice. It would have been easy to quit and find another job. In 2016, I was ranked 217 in the world but it was nearly impossible to continue on tour. I was the second alternate for the Wimbledon qualifying draw but was not sure if I should spend the money to travel. If I flew to London and did not play, I could no longer afford to practice. I decided to go all in and we flew to London for more money than we had. I got into the draw and was very excited. We could only afford to stay for (more…)

January 7, 2021

“In 2012, I broke into the Top 100. I did not make much money so every match was important, especially Grand Slam matches. I prepared to play the US Open qualifying draw. There was a rain delay and my stomach started to hurt. I assumed I was hungry. I won the match and we walked to dinner. I could barely walk and bent over with pain in my abdomen. I tried to sleep but it was painful so we went to the doctor and he said I had appendicitis. He told me not to play the next round. I did not want to know how appendicitis could affect my body because I needed to win. I needed to forget about the pain because I needed the money.⁣⁣I lost the first set and won the second. I had full body cramps at the start of the third set so I asked for a medical timeout. I would have defaulted but was not thinking straight because I needed the money. I had a match point and my opponent made an error but the line judge did not call the ball out. I lost the match in a tiebreaker. I was very disappointed (more…)