Noah Rubin’s “Behind The Racquet” • With • David Goffin | Tennis 10sBalls

By 10sballs Staff
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Updated: September 10, 2020

Photo by Behind The Racquet

Editor’s note: 10sBalls thanks Noah Rubin for giving us permission to repost these great stories.

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“I have been traveling since age 12. When I was 18, I met my girlfriend while she was at the University of Liège. I hardly saw her because I was constantly traveling. My family and friends understood what I was doing, but I missed them, especially when I lost matches or went through tough periods. During those times, you want to spend time with family but you have to go back to working hard on the court. Without the support of my family, being on tour would have been tough.

They were times in my childhood when I wanted a normal life. I was far from home and sometimes I just wanted to be with friends. When I was at the Belgian Tennis Federation, I didn’t spend time with my friends at school because I had to practice as soon as I was done with classes. But it was fun to play tournaments and compete against young players from other countries. When I stepped on the court, I was happy because I was practicing my passion.

The toughest part of my career has been my confidence. When you come back from injury, your body is not feeling one hundred percent. You start to overthink your shots so you struggle with your game and lose matches.It’s never easy to deal with the media because if you play well, they are behind you. But if you have a tough period, the media starts to doubt you. I don’t read what the media says about me anymore. You have to find your own happiness on tour. Sometimes it comes from a hard practice or a tough match. If you don’t like the process, it is very tough because you are constantly traveling and have many hard moments. You have to find something else that makes you happy if your ranking drops. Only your love of tennis can carry you through.

When I was a junior player, I knew I wanted to play on tour. I was very small when I was young so I had to add special qualities to my game. Then I started to grow and become stronger. I played Futures events and faced players that were 15 years older. I started to win matches that I didn’t expect to win. The 2017 World Tour Finals was an incredible tournament for me. Going into the event, I was just happy to be there. My first match, I beat Rafael Nadal then I beat Roger Federer in the semi-final match. I lost in the finals but I was on top of one of the biggest tournaments in the world. I enjoyed that moment very much. It was an amazing experience. I believed in myself and now I am in the Top 10.”