Editor’s Note: Rebecca was on her way to becoming one of the WTA’s new stars when life dealt her a different hand. Here is a story that should make all Canadians so proud.
Canada’s Rebecca Marino is enjoying a return to the WTA Top 100, ten years after mental health struggles led to her rapid decline from a career-high of No.38 to an unexpected retirement at the young age of 22.
As Marino explained in her famous TED Talk in December 2013, nobody was prepared for her stellar rise in 2011, not her, not her parents, not her coaches, not even the tennis association. She had to quickly learn how to deal with media and fans. Traveling non-stop, Marino missed pretty much all important family events and was homesick a lot of the time.
When she sought professional help due to her undefined sadness, she was diagnosed with clinical depression. She continued to compete, but tennis didn’t feel right any more, it felt more as a job, so she decided to quit the sport.
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