Donald Young has been playing professional tennis for more than half of his life. Now 30 years old, he turned pro at age 15. Ranked as high as #38 in the world at one time, Donald Young sat down with Tennis Acumen for an exclusive interview with Karl Corbett. Here's part of that interview at the Knoxville Challenger, November of 2019.
Karl: Let’s talk tennis, Donald…. Some guys absolutely love to win. That's the most important thing. And some guys hate to lose more than anything. Where are you on that spectrum? What drives you the most?
DY: Yes, I'm in the middle of both. I really hate losing. The feeling is awful. But I love to win as well. That feeling is great. So, you try to miss out on one feeling and get the other one all the time.
Karl: So, when it comes to losing, afterwards, do you need to go off by yourself, or be with somebody?
DY: Yeah, I need some time, but I've gotten better about taking a loss as I've gotten older. For a while, it would last a lot a long time. Coming up, it was more tragic, because it didn't happen often. especially in Juniors. (Young won the both the French Open and Wimbledon juniors titles.) I certainly did not lose as often as in the pros, so it wasn't a feeling I was used to. You play the pros and you are probably going to lose more weeks than you win, in general. Even the top players lose more events than they actually win, if you look at the numbers.
Karl: When you're out on court, Donald, playing singles, do you hear the crowd? Do you pay attention to the crowd, or do you totally zone out and just focus on what's on court?
DY: It depends on where I am. I'm serious. Somewhere like the US Open, I'm really listening for it, because the support is normally for me. In another country, you probably tune it out a little more. But I like the crowd. I like the energy they bring, positive or negative. You relate to the crowd in that that experience. The bigger the audience the better it is.
Karl: And what do you think your life will be like a year from now? What are your goals?
DY: Hopefully, out of the Challengers and back in the top 100, you know. Playing Slams again and tour events. That would be what I would like to envision. But I'm definitely still playing, God willing. And that's what I would love, to be healthy and be out here competing, to do what I love to do. I still 30 yet, so I'm still good.
Karl: I wish you a long and healthy career. Thank you for sitting down with Tennis Acumen.
DY: Thank you. Appreciate it.
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