Pedro Martínez Goalkeeper in 2020 he had one of his most special years on the circuit. The Valencian tennis player begins to reap the fruits after several years battling in the Challenger Circuit to get into the top-100 and face 2021 with the desire to definitively launch his career. Serve this good season to look back and remember those other, more negative moments that have brought you here.
Always ground for reflection and confession, ‘Behind the racquet’ served again so that, in this case Pedro, we would know something more about the player’s insides, where the tennis player hits rock bottom. “The hardest part of my career was during my youth. At 17 years old, I had knee surgery and doctors underestimated my recovery time. I did not play for nine months while living in the Spanish Tennis Federation. I was young and it was frustrating. I watched my teammates go to the Junior Grand Slams while I was left alone. I wanted to go home but I had to stay in the federation to go to school. I did not feel well. I had no motivation to study, so I watched TV all night until 3 or even 4 in the morning. “
“I always had a good ranking, but people said that I would not reach the ATP circuit because I had a bad character. In 2018 I thought about leaving tennis. I played Roland Garros and I did not feel good about myself. I lost in the first round of the qualifying table. And I blamed my coaches. That was the lowest point of my career. I said, “I have to change because I can’t go on like this and reach my highest level. Everyone around me is suffering too. “People talked about me saying I was too crazy and couldn’t be a professional. I moved to Barcelona and traveled alone.”
A mental coach, the key.
“During this time, I won my first Challenger title in Bastad but I was suffering on the court and couldn’t control my emotions. It was difficult to imagine that life for the next 15 years. I started working with a mental coach and doing meditation to deal with my thoughts. I reconnected with myself. Over the next six months, I evolved as a player. I took responsibility for my decisions on and off the court. I believed in my coaches and my ranking went up 80 places. “
.
