Summary: <img width="578" height="354" src="https://blog.tennisevolution.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/hi-res-1fc8d85ae43785e609afb26d900ba886_crop_north.jpg" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="" style="float: left; margin: 0 15px 15px 0;"><p><a href="http://blog.tennisevolution.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/hi-res-1fc8d85ae43785e609afb26d900ba886_crop_north.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-10749"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-10749" src="http://blog.tennisevolution.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/hi-res-1fc8d85ae43785e609afb26d900ba886_crop_north.jpg" alt="hi-res-1fc8d85ae43785e609afb26d900ba886_crop_north" width="700" height="350"></a></p> <div class="smart-track-player-container stp-color-2d7bbf-EEEEEE"></div> <h2>Show Notes</h2> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Mardy Fish, you turned pro when you were 18 years old, and I have to admit that I doubted that decision. You clearly used something that I didn’t. I played you in the Bronx challenger right before the U.S. Open a few years into your pro career, and I actually beat you. I’m grateful I got you then, because our careers went in different directions, and I don’t think I would have beaten you later in your career. You broke the top 100 within a few years after turning pro, and you had a decent career, with some really flashy wins, some flashy, amazing performances, but you weren’t consistent enough. That talent wasn’t quite maximized, but in your late twenties, you had an epiphany.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">You met a woman that you ended up marrying, you moved to L.A., and you got serious about your career. You created a new structure, a new approach. You decided to give it everything you had. You dropped 30 pounds; you used to be over 200 pounds, now, you’re a hundred and 75, soaking wet. And all of this started happening around 2007, when I was coming off the tour and transitioning into coaching.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">So, I was watching you from afar, but I was noticing. You moved better. You could last longer in matches. You started winning a lot more. You broke the top 100 in the later stages of your career, and you kept getting better. You were the number-1-ranked American, surpassing Andy Roddick, your long-time friend and rival on point. Things were really looking up for you. Things were looking solid with your ability level, your big serve, your world-class backhand, your improved forehand, your core instincts, your volleys, your hands, your more-professional approach, your fitness level. You look like you were going to be a premier top contender for years to come.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">But then, something happened. You started feeling edgy, on and off the court. Your heart started to raise. You felt anxious, and everything you worked so hard to accomplish in the later stages of your career came crumbling down. You had so much anxiety at one point that you could not play anymore, even defaulting from a 4</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">th</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> round match against Roger Federer at the U.S. Open on Ashe stadium. You didn’t even take the court because of how anxious you felt on your way to that match.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">But, you did spend more time at home with your family, but this time, you really couldn’t do it alone. You had to have people around you. You spent more time with your family. You played more golf. In fact, you were so amazingly talented that you even tried to play a few pro golf events. I can’t imagine how all of this must have felt for you: the fear, the worry, the frustration, the p</span></p>
