Noah Rubin’s “Behind The Racquet” with Nicolas Mejia • Tennis | 10sBalls

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

“It was April 13th, 2017. It was noon in Colombia and it was really hot. My dad was playing tennis and started to have trouble breathing. It was the beginning of a heart attack. He kept playing until he had to go to the hospital where he passed away. He loved playing tennis and he died on the tennis court. His death was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to go through. It’s been a struggle. It’s surreal to realize that I can’t have my father physically with me. He was my biggest supporter and the one who put a racquet in my hand. I think about him every day. Every time I’m going to hit a milestone or reach new heights, I think of how proud he would be. It’s hard not to have him by my side, but I know he’s upstairs watching over me. I am lucky that he supported my journey to the United States. He is my biggest motivation because I want to get to the top to make him proud.

Many Colombian players are a part of the same unique sponsorship family, Colsanitas. My sister was part of my team. During the week, my dad would pick me up from school and take me to my sister’s practices. On weekends, he would take me to tournaments. I’m 21 years old so I’m young. If I do things the right way, I’ll have a long career and make good money. But I want to get there quickly. I’m lucky enough to have a good sponsorship from Coexito, my father’s former company. They fully sponsor me which is a huge relief because I don’t have any other option. Tennis is a tough sport and it’s hard to make money unless you’re very good. Since I moved to the United States, I have loved this sport. I like the grind and I like the competition.

My dream is to win Wimbledon. At Junior Wimbledon, I played one of the longest matches in history, but I lost. We played for four and a half hours and I lost 7-6, 6-7, 17-19. I thought, “I hope I can come back here and do better.” I hope to represent Colombia in the Olympic Games as well. My ultimate goal is to make my country proud.”

Nicolas Mejia (@nicomejia00)

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Behind the Racquet Pod Mike Cation & Noah Rubin/Tennis Channel Podcast Network

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