Noah Rubin’s “Behind The Racquet” • With • Irina Falconi | Tennis 10sBalls

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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“I stopped playing tennis last year. I was in Chicago the week after losing first-round qualifying of the US Open, and I felt absolutely no thrill being on the court. I didn’t want to compete and didn’t care if I practiced or not. I was far more worried about where we were going for dinner than anything else. I wasn’t enjoying my time on the court anymore. My mental headspace was all out of whack. I had no motivation, no real desire to play, and I hated anything tennis related. That’s when I knew I needed to put the racquet down to make sure that I really wanted to play tennis. Right after Chicago, I was meant to play in the main draw of a WTA tournament in Canada, but I pulled out and decided to take a sabbatical. I was more mentally fatigued than I’d ever been in my life. I wasn’t happy playing and that didn’t help me in other aspects of my life. I didn’t have a time period in mind, I just told people I needed a break. At first I thought I would get some backlash for it, but everyone could not have been more supportive. I began working with a sports psychologist who has helped tremendously both on and off the court. A few months ago, I was talking with my boyfriend and said, ‘Is this really it? I don’t really have a purpose and I don’t have the same drive like when I was playing.’ With tennis, I knew exactly what I was doing every single minute of the day. All of a sudden I had to figure out what to do with all my spare time. Soon after, I sat down with my sister, who is also my financial advisor, and after a little venting from my end, she bluntly and lovingly said, ‘Look, you can coach and do whatever you want for the next 50 years of your life. However, pro tennis? You have a small window, 5-10 years tops. And I’m going to be honest with you. You’re not done. You’re not f**king done.’ The next day I went back to practice and I’ve been practicing for a couple of months now. Earlier in my sabbatical, I shot myself in the foot because I had this notion to play Wimbledon as my first tournament back, and told everyone about it. Sure enough, I wasn’t ready and it backfired…” @irinafalconi

To continue reading the full story go to behindtheracquet.com

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You can follow Irina Falconi on the links below:

Facebook | Irina A. Falconi

Twitter | @IrinaFalconi

Instagram | @irinafalconi

You can check out more Behind The Racquet stories on the link below:

Facebook | Behind The Racquet

Twitter | @BehindTRacquet

Instagram | @behindtheracquet