Tennis News: To CNBC a former world number 1 doubles player, Bethanie Mattek Sands stated that following the set schedule helped him during the lockdown.
The 35-year-old Bethanie Mattek Sands has so far won an Olympic gold medal and won nine doubles Grand Slam titles – five women’s doubles and four mixed doubles titles.
“One of the things that helped me through this phase was going through the schedule. Even though I know I can practice or exercise at any time in my daily life, I still determine the time I want to use to practice. I also specify the time to wake up and have breakfast,” explained US tennis player Mattek Sands.
“Finding things you can do in your routine is very helpful when there is a lot of uncertainty.”
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Mattek Sands stated that he has access to play on a private field and currently he is using his time to practice a number of technical changes in his game.
“Now is the perfect opportunity to make some changes. Usually tennis players have never had a break during this time, so it’s really fun to try various things. If you fail or feel it is not an appropriate change, you can return to the starting point. You have lots of time,” Mattek Sands added.
Mattek Sands also said that he was one of those players who did not need to worry about financial problems for now thanks to his success in previous seasons (he had pocketed more than 7 million US dollars in prize money).
“Tennis is not a sport that requires a contract and we really depend on WTA and ATP tournaments, so that players can get prize money as income. Right now, that thing is stuck. You will find many tennis players who are not sure what they should do,” said Mattek Sands.
“There are many opportunities out there. We can do many different things as athletes. We can talk, be a mentor, or be a coach. First, relax and breathe slowly, and you know that there are other options.”
