Wheelchair Tennis Champion Dana Mathewson’s Finest Suggestions

As the primary American girl to win a Grand Slam Main title in wheelchair tennis and one of many prime wheelchair tennis gamers within the U.S., 33-year-old Dana Mathewson is aware of what it means to be on prime of your recreation. 

At all times an athletic child, Mathewson performed quite a lot of sports activities in her youth when she was ready bodied. “I at all times appreciated soccer. I appreciated softball. I attempted tennis a few times at summer season camp, however was not likely into it,” she tells me over a latest video name.

Nonetheless, after creating a uncommon autoimmune dysfunction known as Transverse myelitis (TM), she grew to become partial paraplegic, “or mainly somebody that should use a wheelchair to run or to get round,” she says. 

After encouragement from her mother (which she says was, maybe, insistent at occasions) she picked up adaptive sports activities—and this time tennis caught. The remaining unfolded all because of Mathewson’s sheer expertise and drive. 

Dana Mathewson: My situation shut a variety of doorways that I believed had been my solely doorways resulting in athletic pursuits. However fortunately mother had talked to a variety of completely different individuals after I was within the hospital and discovered what wheelchair sports activities and adaptive sports activities had been. 

At that stage of life, I had by no means seen anybody with a incapacity that wasn’t 90 years previous. I simply wasn’t uncovered to quite a bit at the moment, and I feel that’s truly the case for lots of Individuals. Our nation is so huge that you just don’t come into contact with a variety of completely different demographics. 

At first I used to be one of many youngsters who had little interest in wheelchair sports activities. I believed it sounded actually boring. I could not conceptualize what it might be. 

However my mother was like, “Nope! I need you to be energetic. I’m signing you up for each camp attainable.” And tennis was a kind of. 

Mathewson: I am a giant breakfast individual. I can’t begin the day with out breakfast. I do know there’s plenty of those that get up and all they want is espresso and an apple. I am not that woman. 

I really like waking up and having scrambled egg whites or an egg white omelet with toast. If I am actually within the temper, I am going to sauté mushrooms and spinach, and put that in there. That manner I’ve protein and carbs to get me going. Having that scorching meal simply helps me really feel prepared.

Except for that, I feel that I am very huge on veggies. I’ve by no means been a giant meat eater ever since I used to be a bit woman. So for those who had been to supply me a steak, I would not actually need to eat it. However I haven’t got the vegetarian mindset of not desirous to eat meat due to moral causes, I simply have not actually loved it. 

Mathewson: I’ve a complete group of coaches down right here in Orlando that I work with. My energy and conditioning group has particular applications I’ve to do every single day. 

So, for instance, Mondays and Wednesdays are lifting days. So for me, that’s a variety of higher physique, however we do even have me doing stuff simply to maintain no matter muscular tissues I’ve in my legs energetic. That may contain me utilizing the SkiErg machine, the rower, free weights, bench press, and stuff like that. 

Then Tuesdays and Thursdays are extra conditioning based mostly, so we’ll have courtroom conditioning drills. 

Friday is a circuit the place I mix pulling a sled, rowing, lifting, and battle ropes. It’s brutal. 

There’s good variability between conditioning and energy. I feel that for those who go utterly one or the opposite, you may burn your physique out—otherwise you’re not offering your muscular tissues the train that they want.

Once I was in faculty I used to be simply very obsessive about the thought of being skinny and being toned. I feel a variety of ladies fall into the lure of, “Effectively, I’m simply going to be on the elliptical for half-hour or I’m going to be on the bike for an hour.” Yeah, that burns energy, however it doesn’t truly burn energy the identical manner it does like burning muscle. 

Mathewson: After coaching, there’s a variety of stretching that we do. That was one thing that I’ve to confess I didn’t do for the majority of my profession and I used to be simply fortunate I didn’t have accidents. However now that I’m getting older, I actually see the significance of stretching and funky downs after a exercise. 

I additionally assume it’s necessary to recuperate mentally. I put aside time to play with my canine, name my mates, and even simply sit on my sofa and watch TV. I really like the Actual Housewives. It’s good to have issues in your life that convey you pleasure!

A number of years in the past, my mindset was like, “I must work arduous. I simply must put my head down and be productive the entire time.” However I feel it’s truly productive to be lazy generally. That’s what refuels you. Benign a sofa potato, being a sloth, being on my own for a bit is what recharges my batteries. 

Mathewson: That is been one thing I’ve actually needed to work on prior to now few years. Tennis is such mentally based mostly sport, and I did not understand simply how a lot till I obtained to the extra elite stage of enjoying. As a result of at that time, everybody has forehand. Everybody has backhand. Everybody has serve. Possibly one individual is a bit bit higher than the opposite. However what actually makes individuals win extra usually is their mindset. 

And I feel as an early tennis skilled, I heard that, however did not actually embrace it or did not actually perceive it, however I very a lot do now.

Numerous what I’ve been doing is optimistic self speak after I’m enjoying or earlier than the match. I have a tendency to present an excessive amount of credit score to my opponents earlier than a match even begins. In case you try this, then you definitely’ve already misplaced the match, proper? Since you’re already considering like, Effectively, she hits tremendous huge or she’s actually quick. She’s going to get every little thing. 

I’ve needed to be taught to visualise optimistic outcomes. The evening earlier than a match, I’ll give myself jobs of issues I need to do as a result of I’m very purpose oriented. What I imply by that’s I’ll give myself assignments for myself for a match. I’ll write them down on a notecard, then attempt to visualize what it might feel and look like to realize the targets. I do it many times and once more. 

Mathewson: I feel you are proper that sure individuals have extra of that cussed mindset, which helps you be extra resilient. What I imply by that’s such as you get knocked down 5 occasions, then you definitely’ll rise up six since you’re cussed sufficient to maintain making an attempt. However I feel that that can be a discovered trait too.

With tennis being my private instance, there’s just one individual each week in a match that wins, proper? In order that signifies that everyone else has to lose. You play X variety of tournaments a yr. So there’s a variety of dropping that it’s important to get snug with in tennis! 

It’s week in and week out video games, and most occasions you do lose. You may win a number of,, however in the end you are ending up with an L almost certainly. Except you are Serena Williams. By nature of tennis being my job, it teaches you resilience since you learn the way reframe loses. 

Mathewson: Tennis is de facto technical, so sure it may be irritating. It may well flip a variety of youngsters away from it. Or perhaps youngsters can be annoyed as a result of they don’t have a group they’ll play with, and that may be arduous. 

However tennis is without doubt one of the coolest sports activities in that it means that you can choose up a racket and play with anybody on any given day. You may simply go to the park, meet somebody, and play with them. You don’t want a complete group to play, like basketball or soccer. 

However except for that, I’d say to only keep it up and belief the method. As a result of it’s not at all times simple. 

There’s sacrifices that must be given to a sport that folks don’t at all times take into consideration once they’re youngsters. Like perhaps you’ll have a match on a weekend whenever you need to go to a sleepover. Or perhaps you’ll be getting annoyed that one observe did not go nicely, or different individuals are enjoying higher than me.