Jungsanity

This has probably been the craziest two weeks of my life. There were so many emotions: nerves, doubts, anxiousness, pressure, frustration, joy, excitement, and relief. Now that I’ve had a little bit more time to gather my thoughts and reflect on these two weeks I wanted to share my experience with all of you.

Before even stepping foot in Taiwan I was torn between a decision. The decision to play U.S. Open, my favorite and childhood dream tournament or to play University Games (mini Olympics) on home soil. Ultimately playing University Games came down to how rare this opportunity was. I knew the opportunity to play an event like this would probably never happen in my lifetime again and the chance to win Gold in front of the home crowd.

Most people probably couldn’t tell when I was playing, but I was under extreme pressure the whole 2 weeks. Once being in Taiwan I started to understand the magnitude of the Games and what getting a Gold medal means in the host country. Throughout the Games there were also a few people on our team who got food poisoning so our coaches were all really worried and kept strict orders for us to not eat outside the athlete’s village. Battling the summer heat of Taiwan was also another difficult part. A couple of my matches went through the hottest part of the day, really testing my physical stamina.

As the week progressed and the Games started to get to the later rounds we had fewer of our team members still in the draw. As much as this was an individual event, University Games was also a team event for tennis. Whichever country tallied up the most points in all categories of tennis won the team event. So when I played the semifinals, all of the men’s players on our team had lost. So in order for us to win the team event I needed to win the Gold for singles. Throughout the Games there were a lot of outside voices telling me, “We are counting on you!” “You have to win for Taiwan!” As much as I tried to block it out I knew it was there. I now have so much respect for athletes who are always in the media spotlight. There is so much outside influence, noise that’s good and bad. And yet these athletes are able to block everything and just focus on what they need to.

With all the pressure set aside this has truly been an unbelievable two weeks. I have never played in front of so many people. And I have never felt so much support in all my tennis career. Anytime I lost a couple of points the fans did their best to lift me up. I truly believe with all that was going on (the heat, the pressure, the outside influences) I would not have got the Gold medal if it weren’t for the fans cheering me on.

The days after winning the Gold was something I never could have imagined. I don’t think I’ve ever been that busy off the court. Running from one interview to the next. To meeting the President of Taiwan then riding in a Jeep for a celebratory parade. To even commentating for Fox Sports. Uncharted territory for me. The spotlight was on me, but it was a humbling experience.

I want to end with a final thought. As an athlete I can say that this type of job is very physically and mentally demanding. Many times an athlete will take all the glory and all the praise for winning. But there are many more people to praise than just the champion. It takes a whole team for an athlete to get to where he/she is. There’s the coaches, trainers, physiotherapists, doctors, and other support staff. And it doesn’t stop there. The University Games requires years of planning and people behind the scenes trying to put on this event for us athletes to show our hard work and talent. Without the organizers and volunteers the athletes would not even have the platform to achieve greatness. So thank you!!