April 17, 2020

Here’s your roundup of the five most interesting things I’m enjoying or thinking about this week.

1.) Murray & Djokovic Going Live

Andy Muray and Novak Djokovic announced they’ll be going live together on Instagram and answering fan-submitted questions today at 10 am PT and 1 pm ET. Be sure to ask a question, tune in, and say hello.

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So, @djokernole and I are getting together this Friday at 6PM BST on Instagram Live to answer some of your questions. We’ll both pick a few questions ahead of the Live, so get your questions in below and see you on Friday night ! ???? @atptour #tennisathome #staysafe #stayhome

A post shared by Andy Murray (@andymurray) on Apr 15, 2020 at 12:00pm PDT

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@andymurray and I will be doing IG Live together at 7pm CEST this Friday. Tell your quarantine roommates, tell mum and dad, tell all your friends. We’ll pick a few questions to answer about our careers and history ever since we met as kids. Comment with your questions below and join us for the most exciting Friday night plans we’ll have all month ???????????? #stayhome #staysafe #mycourt #ourcourt #tennisathome @atptour

A post shared by Novak Djokovic (@djokernole) on Apr 15, 2020 at 12:00pm PDT

2.) Coco’s Depression Struggles

Cori Gauff achieved a meteoric rise in the tennis world with fame and pressure coming at her fast. In this week’s Behind the Racquet, she shares her struggle with depression and how she considered “taking a year off to just focus on life.”

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“Throughout my life, I was always the youngest to do things, which added hype that I didn’t want. It added this pressure that I needed to do well fast. Once I let that all go, I started to have the results I wanted. Right before Wimbledon, going back to around 2017/18, I was struggling to figure out if this was really what I wanted. I always had the results so that wasn’t the issue, I just found myself not enjoying what I loved. I realized I needed to start playing for myself and not other people. For about a year I was really depressed. That was the toughest year for me so far. Even though I had, it felt like there weren’t many friends there for me. When you are in that dark mindset you don’t look on the bright side of things too often, which is the hardest part. I don’t think it had much to do with tennis, maybe just about juggling it all. I knew that I wanted to play tennis but didn’t know how I wanted to go about it. It went so far that I was thinking about possibly taking a year off to just focus on life. Choosing not to obviously was the right choice but I was close to not going in that direction. I was just lost. I was confused and overthinking if this was what I wanted or what others did. It took many moments sitting, thinking and crying. I came out of it stronger and knowing myself better than ever. Everyone asks me how I stay calm on court and I think it’s because I accepted who I am after overcoming low points in my life. Now, when I’m on court, I am just really thankful to be out there. Personally for me, I like playing for more than myself. One of the biggest things is to continue breaking barriers. At the same time I don’t like being compared to Serena or Venus. First, I am not at their level yet. I always feel like it’s not fair to the Williams sisters to be compared to someone who is just coming up. It just doesn’t feel right yet, I still look at them as my idols. With all their accolades I shouldn’t be put in the same group yet. Of course I hope to get to where they are but they are the two women that set the pathway for myself, which is why I can never be them.” @cocogauff Go to behindtheracquet.com for extended stories, podcast and merch

A post shared by Behind The Racquet (@behindtheracquet) on Apr 14, 2020 at 10:04am PDT

3.) USTA’s $50M Commitment

The COVID-19 pandemic has put a financial strain on industries across the globe, and tennis is no different. In response, some of the most prominent organizations in tennis are pledging to help maintain stability for the sport’s future. In total, the USTA says there’s $50M planned to support the US tennis ecosystem. The British Lawn Tennis Association has committed $25M and the French Tennis Federation $39M.

Read the Full Story

4.) 10 Luckiest ATP Shots

In this highlight reel, one man’s luck is another man’s misfortune. This week, the ATP digs deep through some of their archives to come up with the ten luckiest shots ever hit on the pro tour.

5.) Tennis United’s Weekly Episodes

Doubles Grand Slam champions Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Vasek Pospisil have begun hosting a weekly show called Tennis United to cover the world of tennis while the sport is on a hiatus. Tune in every Friday, at 11 am PT and 2 pm ET on the ATP and WTA tour’s YouTube or Facebook.

If you have a moment, I’d love to hear your feedback. Which topic is your favorite? What would you like to see more or less of each week?

Share your thoughts in the comments below and have a great weekend.