Wheelchair Tennis Champion Dana Mathewson’s Greatest 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 the prime of her sport. 

All the time an athletic child, Mathewson performed quite a lot of sports activities in her youth when she was able-bodied. “I at all times preferred soccer. I preferred softball. I attempted tennis a couple of times at summer season camp however was probably not into it,” she tells me over a current video name.

Nonetheless, after creating a uncommon autoimmune dysfunction known as transverse myelitis (TM), she grew to become partial paraplegic, “or principally 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 instances), she picked up adaptive sports activities—and this time tennis caught. The remainder unfolded all due to Mathewson’s sheer expertise and drive. 

Dana Mathewson: My situation shut a variety of doorways that I believed have 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 have 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 lots at the moment, and I feel that is really the case for lots of Individuals. Our nation is so huge that you simply don’t come into contact with a variety of completely different demographics. 

At first I used to be one of many youngsters who had no real interest in wheelchair sports activities. I believed it sounded actually boring. I could not conceptualize what it will be. 

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

Mathewson: I am an enormous breakfast individual. I can not begin the day with out breakfast. I do know there’s a lot of folks 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 method I’ve protein and carbs to get me going. Having that scorching meal simply helps me really feel prepared.

Apart from that, I feel that I am very huge on veggies. I’ve by no means been an enormous meat eater, ever since I used to be a bit woman. So should you have been to supply me a steak, I would not actually need to eat it. However I haven’t got the vegetarian mindset of not eager to eat meat due to moral causes, I simply have not actually loved it. 

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

So, for instance, Mondays and Wednesdays are lifting days. So for me, that is a variety of higher physique, however we do even have me doing stuff simply to maintain no matter muscle mass I’ve in my legs lively. 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, so we’ll have courtroom conditioning drills. 

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

There’s good variability between conditioning and energy. I feel that should you go fully one or the opposite, you may burn your physique out—otherwise you’re not offering your muscle mass the train that they want.

Once I was in school, I used to be simply very obsessive about the thought of being skinny and being toned. I feel a variety of women fall into the entice of, “Effectively, I am simply going to be on the elliptical for half-hour or I’ll be on the bike for an hour.” Yeah, that burns energy, nevertheless it doesn”t really burn energy the identical method 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 did not do for the majority of my profession, and I used to be simply fortunate I did not have accidents. However now that I am getting older, I actually see the significance of stretching and cool-downs after a exercise. 

I additionally assume it is essential to get well 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 is good to have issues in your life that deliver you pleasure!

Just a few years in the past, my mindset was like, “I have to work laborious. I simply have to put my head down and be productive all the time.” However I feel it is really productive to be lazy generally. That is what refuels you. Being 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 a mentally based mostly sport, and I did not understand simply how a lot till I bought to the extra elite degree of taking part in. As a result of at that time, everybody has a superb forehand. Everybody has a superb backhand. Everybody has a superb serve. Perhaps one individual is a bit bit higher than the opposite. However what actually makes individuals win extra typically 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.

Loads of what I have been doing is optimistic self-talk after I’m taking part in or earlier than the match. I have a tendency to offer an excessive amount of credit score to my opponents earlier than a match even begins. In case you do this, you then’ve already misplaced the match, proper? Since you’re already pondering like, Effectively, she hits tremendous huge or she’s actually quick. She’s going to get every thing. 

I’ve needed to be taught to visualise optimistic outcomes. The evening earlier than a match, I’ll give myself jobs or issues I need to do as a result of I am very goal-oriented. What I imply by that’s I am going to give myself assignments for myself for a match. I am going to write them down on a notecard, then attempt to visualize what it will feel and appear like to realize the targets. I do it time and again 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, like, you get knocked down 5 instances, you then’ll rise up six since you’re cussed sufficient to maintain making an attempt. However I feel that that will also be a realized 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 shedding that it’s important to get comfy with in tennis! 

It is week-in and week-out video games, and most instances you do lose. You may win just a few, however finally you are ending up with an L almost definitely. Until you are Serena Williams. By nature of tennis being my job, it teaches you resilience since you learn to reframe losses. 

Mathewson: Tennis is absolutely technical, so, sure, it may be irritating. It may well flip a variety of youngsters away from it. Or perhaps youngsters might be pissed off as a result of they do not have a workforce they’ll play with, and that may be laborious. 

However tennis is among the coolest sports activities in that it permits you to decide 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 do not want a complete workforce to play, like basketball or soccer. 

However other than that, I might say to simply keep it up and belief the method. As a result of it is not at all times straightforward. 

There’s sacrifices that need to be given to a sport that individuals do not at all times take into consideration after they’re youngsters. Like perhaps you will have a match on a weekend while you need to go to a sleepover. Or perhaps you will be getting pissed off that one follow did not go nicely, or different persons are taking part in higher than me.