Patrick Kypson
December 22, 2024
“I think the first time I was labeled as one of the next American young players was when I was 15. I never felt a ton of pressure from it, to be honest, because I never really had true belief in myself at that age. Juniors is all fun and games. You get to travel, play in the slams…everything is just easy in a way. Then you play college, which is another step. Then you start playing on the tour, and that’s a whole different story. There’s just no easy days, no easy matches — everything has to be earned. Once you get that slap in the face, you start to figure out that you’re really going to have to endure and suffer a lot of obstacles. I’ve struggled a lot with injuries, and playing pro is already tough when you’re healthy. When you’re not healthy, you just don’t have a chance. It’s stressful to be injured, because your tennis career isn’t forever. If you’re lucky you get 12, 15 years max, but 10 is probably more realistic. There have been moments where I’ve questioned what I’m doing, but I was quick to put an end to that in my mind.
“I think the first time I was labeled as one of the next American young players was when I was 15. I never felt a ton of pressure from it, to be honest, because I never really had true belief in myself at that age. Juniors is all fun and games. You get to travel, play in the slams…everything is just easy in a way. Then you play college, which is another step. Then you start playing on the tour, and that’s a whole different story. There’s just no easy days, no easy matches — everything has to be earned. Once you get that slap in the face, you start to figure out that you’re really going to have to endure and suffer a lot of obstacles. I’ve struggled a lot with injuries, and playing pro is already tough when you’re healthy. When you’re not healthy, you just don’t have a chance. It’s stressful to be injured, because your tennis career isn’t forever. If you’re lucky you get 12, 15 years max, but 10 is probably more realistic. There have been moments where I’ve questioned what I’m doing, but I was quick to put an end to that in my mind.