ORLANDO, Fla. — Jenson Brooksby pulled down the right shoulder of his red T-shirt and fiddled with a few strands of his dirty blonde hair as he spoke to The Associated Press about what he would like in the world — the tennis world, yes, but also everyone – to know it.
Once part of a promising group of American men who made their mark with big victories at Grand Slam tournaments, Brooksby wants people to be aware of what happened while he was away from the tour for nearly two “frustrating” years which, he said, made depression “easy”. Ranked #33 at 21 in 2022, just one year after turning professional, he is now unranked after being sidelined due to injuries, surgeries and a testing ban anti-doping missed which was finally reduced.
And, as Brooksby prepares to compete again in January, including at the Australian Open, he wants people – other players, yes, but also anyone else, including those who are autistic or know someone who is – hear about their life experience. has autism spectrum disorder, which he spoke publicly about for the first time in a recent interview.
“It’s … just something I don’t want to keep to myself,” Brooksby said over a post-practice lunch in a conference room at the United States Tennis Association’s national campus. . About 20 miles east of Walt Disney World, it is the preseason training site for a dozen tennis professionals.
“It’s obviously a personal topic that, even with people you feel very comfortable with – in my mind, at least for a long time – it wasn’t (something) to blurt out as part of ‘a conversation, you know?’ said Brooksby, 24, a California native who said he was non-verbal until he was 4. “But I always thought about it and…eventually. I just wanted to talk about it.”
As a child, he said, he spent about 40 hours a week with therapists “to be able to even begin to speak… (and) then improve his communication and social situations.”
What is autism?
There are no blood or biological tests to detect autism, a developmental disorder caused by differences in the brain identified by observing a child’s behavior. Once diagnosed only in children with severe language difficulties, social impairments, and unusual repetitive behaviors, autism is now defined more broadly and is also used to describe a group of milder, related conditions.
Brooksby called autism a “great strength” in “pressure moments” on the field, allowing him to “focus very well on two or three specific details for a long period of time.” He also mentioned “something that makes (tennis) a little more difficult”: he will have tantrums if he loses or if he is upset by a certain shot or aspect of his technique, a tendency that his athletic trainer, Paul Kinney, watches. for, as well as signs of discomfort such as searching for clothes or hair or leaning forward with hands on knees.
Brooksby, who “presented as a very severe case” as a child, is now “on the very mild end of the spectrum,” according to Michelle Wagner, a board-certified behavior analyst whose area of specialty is autism spectrum disorders. She said she began working with Brooksby when he was 2 years 9 months old and was diagnosed by others; the progress he has made, Wagner said, constitutes an “unusual and unique result.”
Why was Jenson Brooksby’s suspension shortened?
Brooksby was sentenced to what was initially an 18-month suspension by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) in October 2023.
He was not charged with testing positive for a banned substance, but rather with failing to appear for three drug tests over a 12-month period; According to the ITIA’s initial report, his team argued that a miscommunication with a doping control officer trying to track him down at a hotel in the Netherlands “was not due to negligence on the part of (the player).”
Brooksby appealed, and he and the ITIA agreed to a reduced sentence, making him eligible to return in March 2024 instead of January 2025. The ITIA said his “degree of fault… should be reassessed” due to “new information relating to the circumstances giving rise to the missed tests.” The ITIA never announced what this new information was; a spokesperson declined to comment on the matter Wednesday.
But Wagner said the call included his input. She oversaw Brooksby’s treatment plan until age 6, including language development and age-appropriate self-help skills, such as dressing himself or packing a backpack for school.
“It was clear he needed intensive intervention” at the time, she told the AP. “He had serious behavioral problems and he was…behind his age group. »
As part of the appeal, Wagner explained how autism affects Brooksby’s decision-making as an adult and leads to what she calls “a lack of executive functioning,” meaning he has struggle to understand that “if I do this, this could be the result; if I don’t do it, then (some other things) might happen.
Brooksby has been away from the tennis circuit for almost two full years
Brooksby plans to return to the lower-tier Challenger Tour in Canberra, Australia, next month before heading to the Australian Open, which begins Jan. 12. It was there, in January 2023, that Brooksby surprised a three-time Grand Slam runner. Casper Ruud. Two days later, Brooksby lost to eventual semi-finalist Tommy Paul.
This is where the “Activity” section of Brooksby’s ATP Tour record ends. There was an operation on his left wrist for the first time in March. Then surgery on the right wrist in May. Then the ban.
“Several bad things happened at the same time,” he said. “It was a lot to take in mentally.”
After the suspension, Brooksby did not play right away, partly because of shoulder pain when he started hitting again and partly because he was putting together a new team (he is now with coaches Eric Nunez and Rhyne Williams, as well as Kinney, who was previously with him in 2022).
Kinney said Brooksby has been training to improve his body, including his posture, and parts of his game, including his serve.
“Try to get better,” Brooksby said. “That’s the point.”
Brooksby’s tennis career highlights
The 6-foot-4 Brooksby has already shown enough skill, match intelligence and unique shots to beat major finalists Ruud, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Taylor Fritz, Tomas Berdych and Kevin Anderson.
He received praise from 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic, against whom Brooksby won a set before losing in the fourth round of the 2021 US Open.
Recounted some of what Djokovic said that night – “We’re going to see a lot of him in the future” and “He’s got a bit of an unorthodox game” – Brooksby nodded and replied: “I would say that it’s very precise. .”
Emitting a grunt with most groundstrokes, he wore white tape tied around both wrists for practice during the AP’s visit — outside in the morning, inside afterward. noon.
“It’s hard to say what the ceiling is. … He can be top 10,” Nunez said. “He only has one piece of equipment when he participates in something and that’s full mode.”
Why is Brooksby talking about his autism now?
“I just want people to know me for who I fully am, and that’s just another part of me,” Brooksby said. “I spent a lot of time not playing and had to think a lot.”
It took some time to get used to the idea.
“He was worried,” said his longtime adviser, Amrit Narasimhan, “about what people would think of him.”
And now ?
“He wants the players to understand him better; that’s a big part of the problem,” Narasimhan said. “He wants to tell his story so people understand who he is. »
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