Brooksby: "Being Transparent About Autism Makes Me a More Complete Person"

Months after sharing with the whole world that he was diagnosed with autism as a child, Jenson Brooksby lifted his first ATP trophy in Houston. Following a challenging phase in which injuries unexpectedly took center stage, the American player, currently ranked 164th in the world, recounts firsthand how he experienced that great triumph and the greatest difficulties of his career.

"In January, I returned to the circuit after several wrist surgeries and a shoulder injury, so saving match points was just another obstacle to overcome. What most people don’t know is that I’ve had to deal with more than just injuries and tough matches throughout my life. In December, I shared for the first time that I was diagnosed with severe autism as a child," said Jenson as reported on the official ATP website.

"About one in every 100 children is diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, so I’m like millions of people worldwide, but it’s not something many professional athletes talk about. In just a few months, I've received many positive messages from people, whether on social media or in person. The whole experience has been very rewarding."

The Diagnosis and Prejudices

"Throughout my life, I kept my diagnosis a secret. I didn’t speak until I was 4 years old and received intensive therapy for 40 hours a week. My parents believed that harder work at a younger age could shape who I would become in the future, as it’s easier to learn earlier. When I was younger, there were a couple of times when people didn’t necessarily say anything, but you could tell what they thought of me from their actions. In social situations at school, I was always a bit more introverted. I wasn’t the most sociable person and didn’t make friends as easily as others.

My parents never hid my diagnosis from me. Most of what I heard about the disorder while growing up were conversations between my parents and experts, which made me think about it more. Looking back, I’m glad I knew about it because the earlier you find out, the more prepared you are for the future and the better you can manage it. However, it wasn’t always easy. Sometimes the possibility of being judged, especially negatively, made me nervous. But there are certain things in society that people are more comfortable talking about today, making it easier to share my story."

The Positive and the Negative

"My parents always said that I pay a lot of attention to details. My brain is wired to focus on fewer things than others but to do them really well. I could hit a ball against the garage door for an hour without any problem. Not only was I able to focus, but I truly enjoyed it, and that's one of the reasons I fell in love with this sport.

On the court, the biggest impact of autism is related to my sensory experiences. My brain is a bit more sensitive than most to things like crowd noises. Throughout my life, noises have distracted me and can stay in my head longer. There have also been things that weren’t so good. I admit I’ve had outbursts on the court. It would happen when I got upset about losing or focused on something I was doing wrong. I worked very hard to address it while I was injured, and it has helped a lot that my team now understands what I’m going through inside."

"Life is much more than tennis"

"I always wanted to be transparent with myself. I thought that if I could leave behind what was inside me, I could help other people. After more than a year, we decided to talk about it with a journalist from The Associated Press (Howard Fendrich). I had never publicly discussed my autism spectrum condition with anyone outside my inner circle, so, of course, I was nervous. It was a new situation for me.

You can envision what revealing such a personal situation to the world will be like, but it’s impossible to know exactly how you’ll feel. It was tough, but I trusted my decision enough to feel good about it. A few months later, I couldn’t be happier that I did it. I’ve realized that I won’t play professional tennis forever. I’ll have to do something the rest of my life after hanging up the racket. Life is much more than tennis. I believe being transparent about autism is making me a more complete person, not only now but for the rest of my life." And what he is most proud of is all the people, especially children, who have approached him to chat about the topic or exchange a few words about their situation.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Brooksby: "Ser transparente sobre el autismo me hace una persona más completa"