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. The pair also reached the finals of Cincinnati that year and won the Indian Wells title in 2015. In singles, Pospisil reached the Wimbledon quarterfinals in 2014. This interview was an exclusive with Tennis Acumen, in Knoxville, Tennessee, November 2019. Karl Corbett poses the questions.
Karl : So, Vasek, just to start, what inspired you to get into tennis in the first place?
Vasek: Actually, it was my Dad. My Dad was a huge tennis fanatic. As long as I can remember, I was playing. He was coaching my brothers. I have two brothers that are seven and eight years older than me. So, they were playing, and my dad was coaching them. So, I looked up to them, and ever since I started walking and talking, I wanted to be a tennis player. Truly, that came from my dad's influence and then he coached me. I wanted to be a tennis player. That was always the goal and, well, that's the way it has worked out.
Karl : Now, were either of your parents athletic? .
Vasek: They were both athletes.... Not professional, just recreational, and they were good. They didn't pursue it professionally. I think my dad was actually just a recreational tennis player who just was very passionate about the sport. When they immigrated to Canada, he picked tennis magazines and coaching tips from watching tennis on TV. That's how he got into it. My parents were multi-sport. He played basketball, soccer and all kinds of sports. My mom was athletic, too. She was a runner, a sprinter, in fact. So, it was all around me, that sports background in my family.
Karl : So, it's been in the DNA.
Vasek: Yeah, maybe so. Yeah.
Karl : How old were you when you seriously picked up a racket?
Vasek: Basically, right from a very young age. I was playing and taking lessons from my Dad when I was five. I started playing tournaments when I was 6. I went right into it.
READ MORE: How does Vasek deal with defeat? Our interview continues here: (LINK)
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