The Players Tribune spoils us with a good series about tennis. In the past they had Victoria Azarenka and Pete Sampras gave us beautiful insight about a certain period of their life or about something that meant a lot to them.
And for the 2015 US Open they spoil us again with blog entries written by none other than Mardy Fish who talks about anxiety disorder and Caroline Wozniacki who talks about her favorite Grand Slam: The US Open.
The Weight, The Players Tribune
Mardy Fish opens up about his anxiety disorder and the match he had to withdraw from at the 2012 US Open against Roger Federer. It’s a powerful piece that touches on his ability to overcome his anxiety and play in one final US Open.
Mardy Fish tells his story at the Players Tribune
“Three years later, I’m back at the U.S. Open for the first time. And though I think that I can still play at a pretty high level, this will be my last tournament. After the Open, I’ll retire from tennis. This isn’t a sports movie, of course, and there won’t be a sports movie ending. I won’t be riding off into the sunset, lifting a trophy. I’m not going to win the tournament. But that’s fine by me — because honestly, this isn’t a sports story. And I think it’s important that my story not have a sports vocabulary. I didn’t “choke” in Act Two, and I’m not going to “win” in Act Three. This is a life story. This is a story about how a mental health problem took my job away from me. And about how, three years later, I am doing that job again — and doing it well. I am playing in the U.S. Open again.”
Mardy Fish on showing weakness
“To show weakness, we’re told, in so many words, is to deserve shame. But I am here to show weakness. And I am not ashamed. In fact I’m writing this, in a lot of ways, for the express purpose of showing weakness. I’m writing this to tell people that weakness is okay. I’m here to tell people that it’s normal.”
Mardy Fish opens up about anxiety attacks in a groundbreaking way at the Players Tribune
The Open, The Players Tribune
Caroline Wozniacki shared today reflections on the US Open – her “favorite tournament” – and thoughts on her place in the tennis world and love for New York.
Wozniacki, who won her first round match tomorrow versus Jamie Loeb (6-2, 6-0) , shares a secret for her approach to each tournament – “I never look at the draw before I play. I just play – one match at a time, one opponent at a time.”
For her, the US Open has been a place where she has been able to “prove something, about myself, to myself” on two occasions, in ’09 and ’14.
The Secret
“I’ll tell you a secret: I never look at the draw before I play. I just play — one match at a time, one opponent at a time. It’s my rule — my way to keep myself focused on what’s directly in front of me.”
Her favorite tournament
“As for this year, honestly, I’m just excited. The U.S. Open is my favorite tournament. And, on top of that, it just means something to me personally. It’s where I found myself — and then, when a lot of people had written me off, found myself again.”
If I make it there, I’ll make it anywhere
“…My 2014 Open was incredibly special. I had the crowd with me a lot. I’ve always had great crowd support at the Open, but last year they were backing me even more than usual. I was going through some personal stuff at the time, and I think everybody just wanted to help me and push me and get me through each round. I’ll never forget it. It meant a lot. And then also, a few years ago, I got a place in New York. And in November I even ran the New York Marathon. I think all of that together just created this very cool connection between the crowd and me. I never thought I’d say this, but: I felt like a New Yorker.”
Uncover more of Caroline Wozniacki’s secrets at the Players Tribune
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