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Wheelchair Tennis Champion Dana Mathewson’s Greatest Ideas


Alexandra Engler

Writer:

September 16, 2024

Alexandra Engler

Senior Magnificence & Way of life Director

By Alexandra Engler

Senior Magnificence & Way of life Director

Alexandra Engler is the senior magnificence and life-style director at mindbodygreen and host of the sweetness podcast Clear Magnificence Faculty. Beforehand, she’s held magnificence roles at Harper’s Bazaar, Marie Claire, SELF, and Cosmopolitan; her byline has appeared in Esquire, Sports activities Illustrated, and Attract.com.

Game On with Dana Mathewson

Picture by mbg inventive / courtesy of supply

September 16, 2024

We love celebrating girls on the prime of their recreation. In our new sequence Sport On, we’re interviewing prime athletes about their well-being routines—protecting all the things from vitamin that makes them really feel sturdy to the moments that convey them pleasure. 

As the primary American lady to win a Grand Slam Main title in wheelchair tennis and one of many prime wheelchair tennis gamers within the U.S., 33-year-old Dana Mathewson is aware of what it means to be on prime of your recreation. 

All the time an athletic child, Mathewson performed quite a lot of sports activities in her youth when she was ready bodied. “I at all times favored soccer. I favored softball. I attempted tennis a couple of times at summer time camp, however was not likely into it,” she tells me over a current video name.

Nonetheless, after creating a uncommon autoimmune dysfunction referred to as Transverse myelitis (TM), she turned partial paraplegic, “or mainly somebody that should use a wheelchair to run or to get round,” she says. 

After encouragement from her mother (which she says was, maybe, insistent at occasions) she picked up adaptive sports activities—and this time tennis caught. The remainder unfolded all because of Mathewson’s sheer expertise and drive. 

Right here, how she stays on prime of her recreation. 

mbg: What was it like once you began taking part in wheelchair tennis?

Dana Mathewson: My situation shut a whole lot of doorways that I believed have been my solely doorways resulting in athletic pursuits. However fortunately mother had talked to a whole lot of completely different folks after I was within the hospital and came upon what wheelchair sports activities and adaptive sports activities have been. 

At that stage of life, I had by no means seen anybody with a incapacity that wasn’t 90 years previous. I simply wasn’t uncovered to lots at the moment, and I feel that’s really the case for lots of Individuals. Our nation is so large that you just don’t come into contact with a whole lot of completely different demographics. 

At first I used to be one of many children who had no real interest in wheelchair sports activities. I believed it sounded actually boring. I could not conceptualize what it will be. 

However my mother was like, “Nope! I would like you to be energetic. I’m signing you up for each camp doable.” And tennis was a type of. 

I picked up a racket at—I feel then I used to be round age 13—and one thing simply clicked. I do not know what it was that made me like wheelchair tennis greater than ready bodied tennis, as a result of it is just about the identical factor besides one’s in a wheelchair. Nevertheless it simply clicked for me and I have been taking part in it ever since.

mbg: what means enable you really feel your strongest?

Mathewson: I am a giant breakfast particular person. I can’t begin the day with out breakfast. I do know there’s a number of those who get up and all they want is espresso and an apple. I am not that woman. 

I really like waking up and having scrambled egg whites or an egg white omelet with toast. If I am actually within the temper, I will sauté mushrooms and spinach, and put that in there. That method I’ve protein and carbs to get me going. Having that scorching meal simply helps me really feel prepared.

Other than that, I feel that I am very large on veggies. I’ve by no means been a giant meat eater ever since I used to be slightly woman. So when you have been to supply me a steak, I would not actually wish to eat it. However I haven’t got the vegetarian mindset of not desirous to eat meat due to moral causes, I simply have not actually loved it. 

So I eat a whole lot of tofu. I eat a whole lot of plant based mostly proteins. And I do eat rooster and eggs and issues like that. However I discover that after I’m cooking—particularly as a result of my husband is vegan—we eat a whole lot of plant-based meals. And that is additionally very simple to organize when you’ve gotten a tighter schedule like I do. 

mbg: what’s your energy coaching program? 

Mathewson: I’ve a complete crew of coaches down right here in Orlando that I work with. My energy and conditioning crew has particular applications I’ve to do each day. 

So, for instance, Mondays and Wednesdays are lifting days. So for me, that’s a whole lot of higher physique, however we do even have me doing stuff simply to maintain no matter muscle tissue I’ve in my legs energetic. That may contain me utilizing the SkiErg machine, the rower, free weights, bench press, and stuff like that. 

Then Tuesdays and Thursdays are extra conditioning based mostly, so we’ll have court docket conditioning drills. 

Friday is a circuit the place I mix pulling a sled, rowing, lifting, and battle ropes. It’s brutal. 

There’s good variability between conditioning and energy. I feel that when you go fully one or the opposite, you possibly can burn your physique out—otherwise you’re not offering your muscle tissue the train that they want.

Once I was in school I used to be simply very obsessive about the thought of being skinny and being toned. I feel a whole lot of ladies fall into the lure of, “Effectively, I’m simply going to be on the elliptical for half-hour or I’m going to be on the bike for an hour.” Yeah, that burns energy, however it doesn’t really burn energy the identical method it does like burning muscle. 

So I attempt to ensure I get each: Someday cardio, in the future energy, in the future cardio, in the future energy. They’re each intense days, however your physique will get a break. 

Once I was in school I used to be simply very obsessive about the thought of being skinny and being toned. I feel a whole lot of ladies fall into the lure of, “Effectively, I’m simply going to be on the elliptical for half-hour or I’m going to be on the bike for an hour.” Yeah, that burns energy, however it doesn’t really burn energy the identical method it does like burning muscle. 

mbg: How do you get better?

Mathewson: After coaching, there’s a whole lot of stretching that we do. That was one thing that I’ve to confess I didn’t do for the majority of my profession and I used to be simply fortunate I didn’t have accidents. However now that I’m getting older, I actually see the significance of stretching and funky downs after a exercise. 

I additionally suppose it’s essential to get better mentally. I put aside time to play with my canine, name my buddies, and even simply sit on my sofa and watch TV. I really like the Actual Housewives. It’s good to have issues in your life that convey you pleasure!

A number of years in the past, my mindset was like, “I must work onerous. I simply must put my head down and be productive the entire time.” However I feel it’s really productive to be lazy typically. That’s what refuels you. Benign a sofa potato, being a sloth, being on my own for a bit is what recharges my batteries. 

My life is a lot on-the-go, as a result of I’m both coaching—exerting bodily vitality all day—or I’m touring and competing—so there’s nervous vitality. So it’s essential for me to show it off. 

mbg: I wished to ask you in regards to the psychological facet, anyway. So we simply talked about the way you decompress. However I additionally wish to know the way you activate and prepare for these matches? 

Mathewson: That is been one thing I’ve actually needed to work on up to now few years. Tennis is such mentally based mostly sport, and I did not notice simply how a lot till I obtained to the extra elite degree of taking part in. As a result of at that time, everybody has forehand. Everybody has backhand. Everybody has serve. Possibly one particular person is slightly bit higher than the opposite. However what actually makes folks win extra typically is their mindset. 

And I feel as an early tennis skilled, I heard that, however did not actually embrace it or did not actually perceive it, however I very a lot do now.

Quite a lot of what I’ve been doing is optimistic self speak after I’m taking part in or earlier than the match. I have a tendency to provide an excessive amount of credit score to my opponents earlier than a match even begins. In case you try this, then you definately’ve already misplaced the match, proper? Since you’re already pondering like, Effectively, she hits tremendous large or she’s actually quick. She’s going to get all the things. 

I’ve needed to study to visualise optimistic outcomes. The evening earlier than a match, I’ll give myself jobs of issues I wish to do as a result of I’m very aim oriented. What I imply by that’s I’ll give myself assignments for myself for a match. I’ll write them down on a notecard, then attempt to visualize what it will feel and look like to realize the targets. I do it repeatedly and once more. 

I are inclined to get fairly distracted after I do visualization work. It is really actually onerous, as it may be onerous for me to remain centered. It is like coaching your muscle tissue to do one thing. However I try this for a couple of minutes at a time and I will attempt to visualize as I am falling asleep as effectively. It helps construct confidence. 

mbg: I feel one other factor that units elite athletes aside is resilience. Some a part of me thinks it is perhaps one thing innate, that prime athletes are born with. However I additionally suppose it’s a skillset that may be discovered. How have you ever constructed resilience through the years? 

Mathewson: I feel you are proper that sure folks have extra of that cussed mindset, which helps you be extra resilient. What I imply by that’s such as you get knocked down 5 occasions, then you definately’ll stand up six since you’re cussed sufficient to maintain attempting. However I feel that that can be a discovered trait too.

With tennis being my private instance, there’s just one particular person each week in a event that wins, proper? In order that signifies that all people else has to lose. You play X variety of tournaments a 12 months. So there’s a whole lot of dropping that you need to get snug with in tennis! 

It’s week in and week out video games, and most occasions you do lose. You would possibly win a couple of,, however finally you are ending up with an L most certainly. Until you are Serena Williams. By nature of tennis being my job, it teaches you resilience since you learn the way reframe loses. 

It’s about fostering a resilient mindset—a development mindset. There are methods of “dropping” which might be optimistic. You’ll say, “I misplaced, however that’s OK as a result of my serve was actually good right now.” Or “You already know what, I must work on my returns subsequent time.” 

game on with dana mathewson action shot

Picture by mbg Artistic / courtesy of supply

mbg: Oh, that’s so attention-grabbing. I’ve by no means considered that, however it’s a fantastic level. I guess that’s really a fantastic lesson to study early on. I really really feel like tennis might be a fantastic sport for teenagers to study for that motive. Talking of, I wished to ask you about recommendation you may need for younger girls athletes who wish to play tennis? Or any sport actually…

Mathewson: Tennis is de facto technical, so sure it may be irritating. It may flip a whole lot of children away from it. Or possibly children might be annoyed as a result of they don’t have a crew they will play with, and that may be onerous. 

However tennis is likely one of the coolest sports activities in that it permits you to choose up a racket and play with anybody on any given day. You may simply go to the park, meet somebody, and play with them. You don’t want a complete crew to play, like basketball or soccer. 

However other than that, I’d say to simply keep it up and belief the method. As a result of it’s not at all times simple. 

There’s sacrifices that should be given to a sport that folks don’t at all times take into consideration after they’re children. Like possibly you’ll have a event on a weekend once you wish to go to a sleepover. Or possibly you’ll be getting annoyed that one apply did not go effectively, or different persons are taking part in higher than me.

So attempt to have enjoyable with it nonetheless, as a result of it isn’t your job. You are allowed to not be excellent. It’s one thing you do for enjoyable. So embrace the enjoyable a part of it. 



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