Category: Story

October 22, 2020

“I am only 19 years old so nothing special has happened in my life. Growing up, I played tennis because I had a lot of energy as a kid. Tennis was a chance for me to be alone on the court and make my own decisions. I loved winning and was good at it. But I did not fall in love with tennis right away because I did not know how much it could bring to my life. At age 15, I played my first junior Grand Slam, the French Open. This was the first time I wanted to be a professional tennis player. I always knew I had potential. I was the top-ranked player in Poland but didn’t know if I was mentally or physically ready to play professionally. We do not have many players in my country so I was not around experienced players who could teach me how to make it on tour. I had to find my own way. I am not good at dealing with injuries. At age 16, I had surgery. I did not have a good relationship with pain and was not sure if I would overcome this obstacle. Two years later, I (more…)

October 15, 2020

“I grew up with my parents and three older sisters in Corsica, a small island in the Mediterranean Sea. At age 10, life put me on my knees when one of my sisters was diagnosed with cancer. For two years, I watched her fight for her life. When she lost her hair she was crying and hugging me and I felt powerless. After a long and hard fight, she beat cancer and made me promise to never give up. At age 12, I left home to train. I struggled with tennis because I was alone and my parents were getting divorced. Finally, I found my rhythm but then I experienced the deepest pain of my life. At age 14, my oldest sister passed away in a car accident at 28 years old. I felt like someone took my heart from my chest and I couldn’t handle the pain. My sister was a lawyer and my role model and she left me without a landmark. I became a totally different person, fighting my pain in darkness and solitude. I was seen as an outsider in the French Federation. I was alone and struggled to make friends. I watched my family fall (more…)

October 8, 2020

“I am a professional tennis player and a student-athlete at the University of Oklahoma. This May, I completed my undergraduate studies and entered graduate school at the University of Oklahoma. During summer break, I came back home to Ukraine. During practices I would rapidly feel fatigued. My heart rate was unusually quick while my recovery time was extremely slow. At first I thought I had lost my physical conditioning given the fact we all were stuck at home during quarantine. After finishing one of the workouts, my heart rate did not drop below 120 beats for an hour. I thought this was related to the harsh weather conditions that day – it was very hot and humid. A week after that, on August 8th, I got sick. I had symptoms such as headaches, shortness of breath, fatigue, loss of appetite, weight loss (12lbs) and fever that could go up to 103 degrees. After long examination and countless tests I was diagnosed with Myelodysplastic Syndrome with Myelofibrosis. My doctor said that Bone Marrow Transplantation (BMT) is needed to cure these diseases. At the moment I am at the stage when I can immediately undergo BMT without remission chemotherapy. We need this (more…)

October 1, 2020

#LegendaryBTR- “When I learned to play tennis in Puerto Rico, girls didn’t play sports so earning a living in tennis was not a possibility. I was raised to get married and have children but my older brothers played tennis and I wanted to be like them. When I started tennis, coaches would not teach me topspin because they thought girls were too weak. But that didn’t matter because there was no competition in Puerto Rico so I could still win playing with slice. Since the Puerto Rico Tennis Association was part of the USTA, I could play Summer Nationals where I was discovered by college coaches. I was recruited to play for Clemson University, where for the first time in my life I had to play tennis every day. The improvement was tremendous and  I reached the finals of the 1983 NCAA tournament as a freshman. I turned professional that year. But I was at a disadvantage on tour because I had to learn how to hit topspin like everyone else. As a junior, I rarely lost but as a professional I lost every week, sometimes even twice per week. I hated traveling. I was homesick and could not even afford (more…)

September 24, 2020

“My father was my idol, the man I followed when I was young. He played tennis for many years. He never played ATP, but played club in Europe. I always wanted to follow his lead, his tennis. He wasn’t just my father, he was also my coach and the coach of many others like Facundo Bagnis. He was a really nice coach and many people from tennis in Argentina loved and respected him. This February, I was playing a tournament in Cordoba and had to come back to Argentina because my father had been diagnosed with lymphoma. It happened so quickly I could not process it. I went to the hospital every morning and stayed with him, trying to help with whatever he needed. Four weeks later, he passed away. February 18th was the worst day of my life. I have not been playing well since that day. During my first round, all the emotions came to me.  I won the first set and then went down 0-6,0-3. I couldn’t move but I put one foot in front of the other and told myself to press on for my father. It was my birthday, so I told myself I had (more…)

September 17, 2020

“At 18, I had shoulder surgery and did not play tennis for seven months. At 23, I had wrist surgery and did not play for nine months. The next year, I returned to the Top 50 but then I tore a ligament in my knee. When I returned to the court, I was in a lot of pain. Then my close friend passed away. I lost mental and physical energy to train and started to have stomach pain. I continued to play but I had this pain in my stomach and was diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome. I lost a lot of weight and suddenly I was scared to eat because I could not tolerate normal food. Training and competing with pain became really difficult. I fought through my pain in practice and matches because tennis helped me get through this time. It was really tough but I never felt like I wanted to give up. The support of my family, friends and team helped as well. It took me a year to manage my stomach issues and figure out a new diet. These difficult times made me stronger. Now, I am trying to stay positive through the pandemic and (more…)

September 10, 2020

“I have been traveling since age 12. When I was 18, I met my girlfriend while she was at the University of Liège. I hardly saw her because I was constantly traveling. My family and friends understood what I was doing, but I missed them, especially when I lost matches or went through tough periods. During those times, you want to spend time with family but you have to go back to working hard on the court. Without the support of my family, being on tour would have been tough. They were times in my childhood when I wanted a normal life. I was far from home and sometimes I just wanted to be with friends. When I was at the Belgian Tennis Federation, I didn’t spend time with my friends at school because I had to practice as soon as I was done with classes. But it was fun to play tournaments and compete against young players from other countries. When I stepped on the court, I was happy because I was practicing my passion. The toughest part of my career has been my confidence. When you come back from injury, your body is not feeling one hundred percent. (more…)

September 3, 2020

#CelebrityBTR “ I was a ranked junior tennis player in Wisconsin and played on the freshman tennis team at Stanford University. I was not only a tennis player but an avid spectator of the sport. I remember going to Forest Hills in the ’50s and watching the US Open and Davis Cup. I’ve been a regular season ticket holder at Indian Wells for over 30 years. That is my favorite event in the world of tennis. I love that tournament. Even though I stopped competing, I have continued playing tennis throughout my life. I’ve played almost every day during the pandemic. I always dreamed of having my own tennis court. I’ve been doing construction work on my property for 40 years and the tennis court was always part of the plan. About five years ago, I realized this dream. Not only do I have my own tennis court, but it’s become world famous, much to my pleasure and enjoyment. I was able to buy the house next door and build the tennis court there. It’s become known as an infinity court, with a view of all of Los Angeles. Many of the top players have been here. Roger Federer and (more…)

August 27, 2020

“Our third child was born with a genetic disease that severely affects his skin. When he was three years old, we moved from Connecticut to Idaho because the dry air was better for him. Tennis taught me to expect the unexpected and adapt to unique situations. These skills helped me adjust to his condition. Being a father is the biggest adjustment you make as a human being. My career was split in two parts. During the first part of my career, I achieved my limits physically and emotionally but not joyfully. At age 16, I turned professional. At age 17, I won my first challenger event and the 1982 French Open. For the next six years, I captured Grand Slams and climbed the rankings. It seemed too easy. At age 24, I won the 1988 US Open and became the number one player in the world. That evening I thought, ‘Was that really my goal? Because my motivation has gone out the window.’ I kept playing and struggled with injuries. At age 27, I took a break and didn’t play for two years. I was 29 when I returned to the tour. This time, my purpose was enjoying the experience (more…)

August 20, 2020

“In 2010, I was on crutches for 6 weeks due to an ankle injury. It was difficult to leave my apartment and I had to learn to walk again. We take a lot for granted. Many people said I would not return to the circuit but I never thought about giving up. In 2011, I was ranked outside the Top 200 and four months later, I was ranked inside the Top 30. I won the Aegon Classic in Birmingham and reached the semifinals of Wimbledon. Two years later, I played in the Wimbledon final.The last few years have been difficult. In 2018, I was starting to play well again and reached the finals of the Taipei OEC Open. The next year, I started feeling weak and did not know why. It took more than six months for doctors to figure out that I had mononucleosis. I had no energy to go to the grocery store. When I got cleared, I had to start from scratch. After fifteen minutes of exercising, I was exhausted. Over time, I slowly regained physical strength and was about to return to the tour when the pandemic hit.My parents never gave up on me and I’m (more…)