Taro Daniel photo by Hameltion/Wikimediacommons
Editor’s note: 10sBalls thanks Noah Rubin for sharing his “Behind The Racquet with Taro Daniel” interview. To read the complete Taro Daniel story, please visit Behind The Racquet
Behind the Racquet
Taro Daniel
“I’ve definitely struggled at times with my identity.
I was born in New York, but I never really lived there. I spent my life in Japan until I was 13, then we all moved to Spain. I’ll always have that ‘Daniel’ on my last name, which if I’m in Japan, people are like, “Oh, where’s that from?” And when I lived in Spain, I did struggle quite a bit in the first few years with micro-racism.
I ended up being very fond of Spain, but it was tough the first couple of years. My dad really wanted to move because he was in a very typical Japanese corporate life, and it was killing him. He was the one really passionate about tennis, so we followed his idea.
It was a busy childhood. I’d play tennis all day and then study the rest of the time. I barely had days off and didn’t really get to play much with my friends. It’s crazy when I think about it now and those are things that I do regret a bit, but they weren’t really in my control.
My sister was the talented one in the beginning. I was good enough to tag along, but people were never putting much pressure on me. She was a typical person that could pick up anything and do it really well. I actually struggled more keeping up with her, but it’s healthier now. She works in finance and has a completely different life. The tour can be a really brutal place – a very isolating experience — and I think it’s a blessing in disguise.
My perspective on tennis has changed from when I was younger. I don’t really play for anyone at this point.”