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.
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“The story of my attack is unfortunately not great, but how I came back is what I want people to know. It was obviously not something I expected to deal with and made me feel empty inside for a while. The attacker took my love, tennis, away from me. I didn’t want to just come back, I wanted to come back and play at the highest level. It was like a challenge for me. Mentally, it helped having resounding support from everyone in my life and others I didn’t know. I had lots of messages and emails, I had fellow tennis players, even tournaments, who filmed videos wishing me a good recovery, which helped me get through everything. It was heart warming to see all the faces smiling as I made my way back to my first tournament. Some players didn’t know how to act towards me at first, but there was a feeling of comfort to see all of them again. I truly missed the competition of being on the court. As a tennis player you have to deal with many tough aspects such as being on the road for long periods, the ups and downs on court. I knew I missed the sport when none of that mattered and I was just begging to have the chance to play and win, that was what I needed. I didn’t really know how I was going to feel when I stepped on the court for the first time again at Roland Garros in 2017. I didn’t know how I would react and I was thinking maybe I would cry. I thought I would be filled with tears, but my overriding emotion was pure happiness. I, unfortunately, had some scary flashbacks during the match, but most of my thoughts were of tennis, which I was proud of. I do have to admit that I cried after the match and I heard that the girls were crying watching me win in the locker room too. I have a different perspective on life and see things a little differently now, but that competitiveness to win every time I step on court hasn’t left me. I always want to improve and I work for that winning feeling. I have to remind myself, win or lose, I am thankful to be there playing, which I could have lost in that moment a couple years ago.” –Petra Kvitová
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