Category: Story

December 31, 2020

“I have spent 41 years being a human. At age 6, I picked up a racket but did not like tennis. A few years later, I fell in love with the sport. I grew up in Yugoslavia during the war. A few players managed to leave the country but we did not have much money. There were months when we could not eat much or go outside because there were planes over our city and we had to seek shelter underground. I would practice whenever there was an open court. I also played basketball until age 13. I was tall and moved well so basketball coaches made me play against 18-year-olds but I did not like that. Perhaps I could have gone to the NBA. Starting at age 21, I spent three years ranked 300 in the world. I got down on myself because I saw my peers reach higher rankings. I did not have a coach so I traveled alone. I thought about quitting before I broke through on tour. In tennis, you cannot be realistic. You have to be a dreamer. When you are young, you are joyful and hope to be number one in the world. Then (more…)

December 24, 2020

“Soccer runs in my family. Both my grandfather and brother played for Columbia in the World Cup. My dad wanted me to play a recreational sport so I asked him to choose between swimming, basketball and tennis. He chose tennis. I started to play and fell in love with the sport. At age 11, I left Columbia and came to Florida. I did not understand one word of English. I lived by myself for three years and did not see my parents often. It was tough to speak to the other players as there was a language barrier and we did not understand each other. Sometimes I wanted to go back home. My dad told me to stay because I wanted to become a professional player. This was my dream and I had to fight for it even though it was not easy.  I never thought about quitting tennis but I missed being back with my family. Sometimes I felt sad after losing a match or tired from training. But I had to keep going. For three years, I tried to win a Junior Grand Slam. I visualized winning the 2019 US Open. My family pretended to give me the (more…)

December 17, 2020

“The most difficult part of my career was during junior tennis. At age 17, I had knee surgery and the doctors underestimated my recovery time. I did not play for nine months while I was living at the Spanish Tennis Federation. I was young and it was frustrating. I watched my peers leave for Junior Grand Slams while I stayed there alone. I wanted to go home but had to stay at the federation for school. I was not well. I did not have motivation to study so I would watch television all night until 3 or even 4 in the morning. I always had a good ranking but people said I would not make it on tour because I had bad character. In 2018, I thought about quitting tennis. I played Roland Garros and did not feel good about myself. I lost in the first round of the qualifying draw and blamed my coaches. That was the lowest point of my career. I said, “I have to change because I cannot continue like this and reach my highest level. Everyone around me is suffering as well.” People were speaking about me saying that I was too crazy and I (more…)

December 10, 2020

MyBTR – “Removing my large intestine both saved and changed my life in tennis. People have heard of Crohn’s disease; I have something similar but less well-known called Ulcerative Colitis and needed surgery to stop a downward spiral. Steroid medication inflated my face to the size of my racquet head and chemical rescue therapy double-bageled my immune system. I passed early mornings in hospital watching Andy Murray’s first retirement at the Australian Open and felt just a little teary. A new trial drug kept me out of hospital to watch the French Open from home and I got back to teaching physics and coaching the school tennis program. I knew I was back to form when an earnest pupil said ‘Sir, you’re so good at tennis, why don’t you ditch the physics and coach full-time?’ By Wimbledon, the medication had stopped working and I was back in hospital. I can only apologise to the other patients for my outbursts of anguish as Roger missed his match point chances. Surgery to fit a stoma bag was the final option. Now I play with a constant risk of damaging my stoma or causing a hernia. A protective and restrictive hernia belt feels (more…)

December 3, 2020

#LegendaryBTR- “One of the most difficult parts of my career was my confidence. I was too hard on myself and went through times where I would automatically lose matches. My ranking would drop because I put too much pressure on myself. I wish I could have handled those times better.  As a child, I was very shy. I sat in the back row at school. I had a modest personality. When I went on tour, I became more social because I had no choice. On the court, I was alone and off the court, I had to gain confidence speaking English. That helped me get to where I am today.  The tour is very different now. If you are a top player, you have an entourage. You probably spend more time with your team than your competitors. If you get wild cards into big tournaments and play well, you quickly break into the Top 100. Other guys have a longer path to the top. They start with lower-level events and gain confidence in themselves. These players become friends because they only have each other, they can’t afford to travel with their coaches.  After my professional career, I partnered with my friend (more…)

November 26, 2020

“I started playing tennis on a recreational level. At age 10, I decided to compete and become a professional. My dad was my coach but is new to the tennis world since he was a soccer player. My dad surrounded us with other coaches who understood our philosophy, style and game. I never felt pressure from my dad to play sports or do anything in life. He gave me the green light to make my own decisions and introduced me to many different activities. I played baseball, soccer, volleyball and ran track.  However I loved tennis and once I realized there were Junior Grand Slams, I set a goal to win one. Last year, I reached the Junior Australian Open final and was disappointed to lose. A few months later, I won the Junior French Open and became the first Canadian player in seven years to capture a Junior Grand Slam. This year, I started playing on the WTA Tour.  It is difficult to balance tennis, school, and friends. When I started playing tennis, I was in regular school. I had friends and teachers who supported me but I constantly traveled to compete. I missed moments in my friends’ lives so it (more…)

November 19, 2020

“I grew up in a small town in southern Brazil. At age 5, my dad taught me to play tennis. He tried to play on tour. He played challengers and the qualifying draw at the French Open. He coached me until age 14 when we moved to Rio de Janeiro. In Rio, I worked with a local coach for three years. In 2018, I won the US Open Junior title and started working with the former Brazilian Davis Cup captain who is still my coach today. I have a secret passion for Harry Potter. I have Harry Potter tattoos on my body. I have the Golden Snitch, Hermione’s eyes, the Forbidden Forest, and Hedwig’s head. I started watching the movies when I was 14. Harry Potter taught me to surround yourself with people you love and trust. In 2015, I realized that tennis is what I wanted to do with my life. The tennis court was the only place where I could drown out all of the world’s problems. That same year, my parents decided they didn’t want me to play tennis anymore. My mother wanted me to go to medical school and become a doctor like everyone else in (more…)

November 12, 2020

“In 2014, tennis changed my life. I played in my first Grand Slam final at the French Open. No one in Romania had reached a Grand Slam final since 1978. Emotions exploded and everyone had high hopes for my future. They started to believe I could win a Grand Slam. I became popular overnight. People recognized me on the streets and asked for pictures and autographs. This was a big change and was tough to manage but I learned many things during this time. I tried to enjoy the attention but it was stressful because it took a lot of energy. I did not want to lose focus on my career. I tried to find a balance. I was generous and open with fans but stayed focused on the hard work needed to earn results on court. At first, I felt I had to show the world I could keep winning. This feeling motivated me to improve every day but was always in my mind. Over the past few years, I have improved in the way I deal with both negative and positive aspects of pressure. I embrace pressure after a big win. I face the pressure and try not (more…)

November 5, 2020

“My father passed away April of 2019. In 2018, he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. I found out the day I got home from the Australian Open. Chemotherapy is one of the worst things you can see somebody go through. It is almost worse than the disease itself, especially with pancreatic cancer because the survival rate is so low. You have to decide if you want to go through treatment or just live as well as possible for as long as you have to live. You face this situation only in your wildest dreams. I am an only child and my father and I had a great relationship. I was never forced into tennis. It was always my choice. Until age 12, my dad and I played tennis together. He would come home every day from work and we would go out to the local high school courts and play. My tennis had a special place in his heart and when the sport became my career, my dad was proud. Our father-son activity turned into my job which is pretty rare. After he was diagnosed with cancer, tennis did not matter as much. I won my first Grand Slam title (more…)

October 29, 2020

“In 2009, I turned professional and gave up a scholarship to play at Vanderbilt. I was ranked around 220 when I had a family friend offer to support me and my coach until I could support myself. (He changed my life forever!) Out of everyone in my family, I was the one who doubted whether I was going to succeed on tour. My dad was a marine, a secret service agent and an FBI private investigator. He has a strong personality and is extremely disciplined and tough. I started playing tennis when I was three. My dad would take me out every single day. At first, he had me play without a net in front of our house. As I got older and transitioned to the real court, that is when he really forced me to put in the hours- kind of against my will. Competing was the one thing that held my interest to the sport because I liked to battle and win from a young age. Honestly, I owe everything to my dad. If it weren’t for him, there is no chance I would be where I am today. My mom has a sweet and simple personality and (more…)