WEBVTT - Heath Davidson on fear, commitment and his remarkable return to tennis

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<v Speaker 1>When I got clean and stopped using, I sort of

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<v Speaker 1>had made a commitment to myself than anything that I do,

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<v Speaker 1>I'm going to do properly and jump in full, which

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<v Speaker 1>in the past had sort of never been the case.

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<v Speaker 1>I dropped out of high school, so I'd never finished school.

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<v Speaker 1>I had had a couple of jobs here or there,

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<v Speaker 1>but never went for a day and then didn't go

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<v Speaker 1>back and sort of stuff like that. So that commitment

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<v Speaker 1>to myself that if I'm going to do something, I

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<v Speaker 1>want to see it through. And tennis was a funny

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<v Speaker 1>one to come back because there was so much fear

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<v Speaker 1>about coming back because I was quite a successful junior,

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<v Speaker 1>like I represented Australia twice for World Team Cup. I'd

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<v Speaker 1>never lost a Dylan, I was world number three in

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<v Speaker 1>the juniors. So I had a really good junior career

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<v Speaker 1>and obviously just life got in the way and I

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<v Speaker 1>chose a different path there for a while, and the

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<v Speaker 1>fear of coming back and not being as good as

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<v Speaker 1>I was was really, really heavily weighing on me. But

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<v Speaker 1>I just said, you know what, this is what I

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<v Speaker 1>want to do, so I'm going to do it, and

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<v Speaker 1>I jumped in and I think I was hitting just

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<v Speaker 1>I rang my local coach. Actually, one night I watched

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<v Speaker 1>Nick Kurios beat Rafa I think it was twenty fifteen

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<v Speaker 1>at Wimbledon, and my girlfriend at the time said, you

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<v Speaker 1>used to play wheelchair tennis, didn't you? And I said

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<v Speaker 1>I did, and she's like, if you ever thought about

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<v Speaker 1>going back. I'd been cleaned for a few years by then,

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<v Speaker 1>and I sort of went, no, not really, and then

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<v Speaker 1>that sort of just it was in the back of

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<v Speaker 1>my head. Yep, the seed had been yeah, and I'm like, oh,

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<v Speaker 1>I wonder if I wonder if I should. And then

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<v Speaker 1>a couple of days later, I rang my coach, Marco Percy,

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<v Speaker 1>that i'd hit with from fourteen to eighteen, and he

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<v Speaker 1>used to come and look after me and come and

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<v Speaker 1>check on me when I live by myself. He's like

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<v Speaker 1>my big brother these days. I rang him and he's like,

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<v Speaker 1>this is a blasphem passing thing something from you again,

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<v Speaker 1>And I said, any chance I could come down and

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<v Speaker 1>have a bash and he's like, I'll say the same

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<v Speaker 1>thing as I did back when your dad rang me.

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<v Speaker 1>Do you want to go and have a bash? I

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<v Speaker 1>said yes, So I rang. I didn't have a wheelchair

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<v Speaker 1>or anything. So I rang wheel chair, spat Tiktoria, borrowed

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<v Speaker 1>a wheelchair, went down, had to hit. It was fun.

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<v Speaker 1>I forgot how much I missed just hitting tennis balls.

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<v Speaker 1>And then I think I posted I think I was

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<v Speaker 1>hitting for three or four weeks and then I posted

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<v Speaker 1>a photo of me back on a tennis court and

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<v Speaker 1>Dylan had seen that post and then had a chat

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<v Speaker 1>with Tennis Australia and said, hey, he's used to play tennis.

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<v Speaker 1>He used to be pretty good. Let's get him down

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<v Speaker 1>and just have a chat to him, see what's going on.

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<v Speaker 1>And I came in, had a hit with Dylan. I

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<v Speaker 1>was terrible. He was world number one at the time,

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<v Speaker 1>so he pasted me. I met Francois and Brenda, who

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<v Speaker 1>used to be in charge of our department, and yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>that conversation led to would you like to come in

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<v Speaker 1>and we'll have a chat and see if we can

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<v Speaker 1>move forward, And then yeah, I went from hitting once

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<v Speaker 1>or twice a week to being here five days a

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<v Speaker 1>week with Dylan, not having any idea what it meant

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<v Speaker 1>to be a professional athlete. I mean, at the time

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<v Speaker 1>I was still in junkford four days a week and

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<v Speaker 1>doing all the wrong things, and yeah, really really struggled

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<v Speaker 1>to adapt to that lifestyle. But huge thanks to Dylan

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<v Speaker 1>for being there every step of the way with me

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<v Speaker 1>and helping me and pushing me. And he's a really

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<v Speaker 1>good motivated that boy. He just he knows the right

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<v Speaker 1>things to stay to get me to go. And I

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<v Speaker 1>mean it was a well win twelve months because twelve

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<v Speaker 1>months later we want to gold medal at the Paralympics.

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<v Speaker 1>So yeah, it was pretty pretty wild. We will talk

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<v Speaker 1>more about Rio shortly, but also you won your first

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<v Speaker 1>singles title international singles title in Korea in May twenty seventeen.

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<v Speaker 1>What did that mean for you at the time. It

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<v Speaker 1>was mean a lot because obviously all of my success

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<v Speaker 1>leading up to that had been in the doubles, and

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<v Speaker 1>it was I mean, my first top ten win was

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<v Speaker 1>a few months before. That would have been late twenty sixteen,

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<v Speaker 1>and then yeah, I managed to win Korea and played

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<v Speaker 1>some good tennis. And I think I've always enjoyed playing

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<v Speaker 1>doubles more because I enjoy the like partnership. And I

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<v Speaker 1>think I've always been a very negative singles player in

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<v Speaker 1>the sense of like I get in my own head

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<v Speaker 1>and I'm really negative to myself and I mean I've

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<v Speaker 1>been working with a sports like now for six years

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<v Speaker 1>and it's still there, but we're starting to get better.

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<v Speaker 1>So yeah, mean a lot to actually finally get out

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<v Speaker 1>there and get one by myself. I liked being in

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<v Speaker 1>ding Shadow, that was nice. If you'd like to hear

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<v Speaker 1>the rest of our conversation with Heath Davidson, make sure

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<v Speaker 1>you're head to the sit down wherever you're listening to this,

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<v Speaker 1>or you can find the links in the show notes.