Behind The Racquet • Shares A Behind The Scenes With Tennis 10sBalls • ATP’s Hunter Reese

 

Editor’s note: 10sBalls thanks Noah Rubin for giving us permission to repost these great stories. We wish him and this endeavor the best of luck. Great seeing Noah wearing K-Swiss and playing Solinco Strings.

 

“He was diagnosed around October, 2012 and passed away November, 2014. Sean Karl. He was in remission during the summer of 2013 and then came to UT (Tennessee) that fall. Then November of ‘13 he was diagnosed again. It was a one step forward, two steps back situation. We were close friends. Through playing with Sean, we all became brothers. We were a team. He played the fall of his freshman year and then was forced to stop when it returned. He competed in fall tournaments but sadly never competed in a dual match. He underwent all his treatment in Knoxville, once he got to school. He was at every practice that he could, during his schedule of one week of treatment and two weeks off. During the off weeks he would be in good enough shape to hit with us. He was always around us. We met every Thursday with the team which was led by the coach. It was extremely spiritual. It started and ended with a prayer. The whole team would be in the tennis center and listen to Sean get raw about his treatment and how he is feeling. He once broke down crying. He felt that he was a burden on his friends and family, but from our perspective it was an inspiration to walk with him through it all. This was weeks before the end. He was less than 100 lbs, unable to walk by himself, just breaking down in front of us. Regardless of if he was there, we would meet every thursday. We were kids, eighteen to twenty one, dealing with cancer firsthand. Sean didn’t want anyone knowing he had cancer. Whether it was why he wasn’t playing or why he was missing classes, we covered him. We even shaved our heads when he lost his hair to support. It took until he was awarded the Courage Award by the University, six months after he was diagnosed for the second time, for students and teachers to understand what he was going through. My body is a little shrine to Sean, between my bracelet, tattoo and wearing the actual necklace he used to wear. I’ll never talk to him again, I’ll never see him again. It had a huge impact on my faith. I didn’t understand how G-d could let that happen. Sean made me the person I am today. Court 1 at the, University of Tennessee, will forever be the Sean Karl court.” -Hunter Reese

 

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Twitter | @VolReese

Instagram | @volreese

 

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