Vasek Pospisil is a Canadian tennis player, ranked as high as number 25 in the world in singles, number 3 in doubles. In 2014, playing with American Jack Sock for the first time, Pospisil won the Wimbledon championship. In singles, Pospisil reached the Wimbledon quarterfinals in 2014. This post is part of a series, based on an exclusive interview with Karl Corbett of Tennis Acumen, in Knoxville, Tennessee, November 2019.
Karl: When you were young, how did you deal with losing or struggling or not finding your game?
Vasek: Oh.... I didn't like it. When you're a kid, you're a little too hard on yourself. You take it too personally when you're losing matches. It's hard to have a mature outlook on the process and on developing your game when you're young, because you don't really understand it.
Vasek: When you get older, you handle defeats much more productively. You look at it and you try to learn from it, much more than when you're young. I think when you're young, it just hits you on a personal level, when it really shouldn't. But you figure, that's being a kid, right? So, it's hard when you're struggling. It's hard when you lose. And that's where good coaching and good parenting goes a long way, because you know they are there to guide you. They can get you thinking about losses in the sport in the right way. I was fortunate in my life that I had good guidance. I was able to go through that process, maybe a little bit quicker than someone who doesn't have the right guidance. So, tennis is a long, long journey with lots of ups and downs. You've got to adapt to the environment that you're in, and it's not an easy one. Not an easy one, for sure.
(Vasek has a practice court reserved and has just 5 minutes to spare. Tennis Acumen asks to continue the interview, later on in the week.)
Vasek: I'm playing a match tomorrow, so let's get together after that. Can we still use some of this?
Karl: Absolutely. This is great stuff.
Vasek: Oh, I'd love it. Perfect. Thank you.
READ MORE: What are Vasek's favorite cities, his favorite places on tour? (LINK)
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