Rennae Stubbs just short of her 40th birthday is enjoying a career of semi-retirement from professional tennis. Stubbs the longest serving member of the Australian Federation Cup team has made her professional tennis mark as a doubles specialist. Over her twenty year career on the tour she has chalked up sixty tournament wins, including six grand slam doubles titles. Stubbs made history this year by becoming only the fourth player in World Team Tennis history to be on five Championship teams. Stubbs participated as the co-captain on the Washington Kastles. The team was the first in WTT’s 36 year history to have an undefeated season. Rennae’s tennis career is not over but as she winds down she’s been shifting into a new role as a t.v. commentator.
This is the final installment of an interview with Rennae held during the WTA Mercury Insurance tournament at La Costa Resort and Spa.
SZ: What do you think is helpful for young players and parents to know and be aware of when they are making the decision to commit to a professional life in tennis?
RS: I don’t want to pigeon-hole tennis. I think sports in general, I’ll go as far as to say that I think tennis is the most difficult sport. The reason I say that is not because I did it, but because tennis is the truly the only global sport.
SZ: Golf?
RS: If you are an LGPA player you are essentially playing in the States. The LGPA is now going a little bit more to Asia. There is the Evian and British Open, but I don’t court 5-6 weeks in another country or on another continent as a world wide sport. I say this because one of my closest friends is Karrie Webb and she does not travel anything like the players on the WTA. We have Europe, the States, Asia, I feel tennis is the most global sport in the world.
I think it’s difficult for a kid to be really good at because they have to be away all the time and a long way from home. It’s expensive to fly to Europe and back, stay in hotels, while taking mom or dad with you.
SZ: Is it tougher now or just different?
RS: Just different because you are getting paid more now but things are more expensive. It’s all relative. The most important thing is that your kid has to enjoy it. They have to love what they do. In any sport they have to love what they do. They have to love being on the road and being away from their friends. If they aren’t social it’s tough.
I see players come and go in three years because they are miserable. They have to love the competitive part of it and they have to love the ups and downs and dealing with adversity. It’s not easy. I try and say that to give kids a reality check. "You’re about to embark on something that’s so difficult and only a small percentage of the world will get to do this in a lifetime, so be realistic about what your chances are. If you are on the cusp of making it then you need to push yourself even harder to be successful because before you know it you will turn 25-30 years old and not have a dollar in the bank and no education." Good luck! I feel like the grim reaper but on the flip side I want them to experience what I’ve experienced and get something out of it and be happy at the end of playing, not feel like they wasted their youth. Unless you’re getting something out of it’s a bummer. Not just monetarily but feel like “I’m so lucky doing this”, that’s winning.
SZ: Did you feel this way in the beginning of your career? Was there ever a time you thought, “Do I want to be doing this?”
RS: I think everyone does at some stage of their career in life. I sort of didn’t give myself an opportunity to fail. When I was young and at the Institute of Sport in Australia in my last year I wanted to go and play Challenger Events in the States. I was told that they wouldn’t pay for me to go, I hadn’t warranted it, it didn’t have the results. I basically said, “I’m going to go anyway.” My dad got me a visa and said, “Best of luck,” and gave me the money. He always tells the story that I came back from that trip and I paid him back and never owed him a dollar since. It’s kinda like you step up to the plate and you do it and my goal was to pay my own way and do it because I loved it. I enjoyed the social part which was important for me. That got me through a lot of early times. I also appreciated being my own boss. That’s been the best. Maybe it’s something my parents instilled in me or maybe I can’t handle authority. It’s probably a combination which is why going into t.v. and things upcoming you have to toe the line in certain things.
SZ: You have the credibility to push and expand an audiences awareness.
RS: True I am allowed to be a little bit creative but still you’ve got to be here on time. You’ve got to be at production meetings.
SZ: You’ve got good company. You already know the people in the booth. You’re not really dropping into a void you know these people. You have many years of shared experiences. Do you have a favorite quote or story that’s helped you on your professional path?
RS: I love telling this story. My dad tells a story when I was a kid he knew I was going to be okay in life because when I was young and a competitive swimmer he said I was the only one in the 10 and under’s who would get up on the big starting block at the beginning of races. Most kids would start on the pavement because the block feels like a 20 foot drop when you’re 10 years old and he said I was the only swimmer in the race that got up on the big block and I looked over at him and gave him the thumbs up. He said, “I knew from that moment in your life that you would be okay.”
I just think the most important thing is to love what you do and truly embrace the whole package of what goes along with it because the reward is immeasurable.
SZ: Rennae thank you for taking time out of your very busy schedule to chat about life on the professional women’s tennis tour. I’ll check back in a year and see how your broadcasting career is working out.
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