Noah Rubin’s “Behind The Racquet” with Demi Schuurs • Tennis | 10sBalls

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

“When I’m asked what differentiates me from other tennis players, I don’t think I even have to explain. If you know who I am or if you’ve seen me on the court, it’s obvious. I am myself and I don’t care what other people think about me. I have short hair, and I wear men’s clothes most of the time. I know that you don’t see it that often on the tour, but I’m happy with who I am. 

“Because I’ve been playing for 25 years now, more or less, there’ve been so many life-changing moments in my tennis career — it’s hard to pinpoint just one moment. A career is a process and so many things happen over that span of time.

“I do have to say, though, it was a nice feeling once I started to earn more money from playing, so I was not dependent on other people any more. That was a great feeling to be financially independent, so of course that changed my life. 

“There is always pressure in life for everyone, no matter your career. You always work hard to achieve your goals, so if you get close to reaching these, then you feel the pressure. However, the more you are on the big stage, the more you get used to it, but it will still always be there — the pressure. Off the court, it’s the same. The more you win, the more you have to show up, again and again. I try to see it a different way, though. Once I win a big match, I always think “They will never take this away from me.” 

While there’s always the lingering fear of not succeeding on the court, to be honest, I don’t really think about it. Instead, I just focus on what I’m doing now and try to remember that life has its ups and downs. The most important thing to me, always, is that I am happy and that everyone around me is as well.”

Demi Schuurs (@demischuurs)

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

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