Why did I start to write a blog in 2025 when I had already set out to write it a year ago? Well, as I sit here, quite sick when I am meant to be doing pre-season, I have a lot of feelings about my time on tour. There are so many nuances, ins and outs, and feelings I have that I want to share.
Not feeling ‘good enough’ yet
I am not Andrea Petkovic – maybe that’s why I was putting off writing this blog for so long. I didn’t feel worthy to write about tennis unless I truly made it in the tennis world. I waited to jump into the top 100 or win a major tournament. “And then I can start the blog,” I kept telling myself. The thing I forgot about is that success is not linear, especially in the tennis world. I can’t wait until I make it because I might never write at all. And in tennis, unless you’re #1 in the world, there will always be someone better than you, and you can always have a reason to feel inferior.
I know I am not in the top 10. However, I know that will not dissuade readers. I hope people will realise that my voice and unique perspective of the scene have their merits. If you always just read about the lives of the top 1% of the tennis world, that’d be no fun, would it? Maybe you’ll enjoy hearing someone who fluctuates between the 150 to 300 rankings. It’s definitely much more exciting (i.e. nerve-wracking)! Will I make the Grand Slam this year to afford to pay for a coach during the next season? Will I get in to the WTA tournament, where I have loads of amenities, or will I go play an ITF tournament in a remote location with low pay? All of this and more will be covered in my blog.
So, who am I?
Let me introduce myself first.
My name is Gabriela Knutson. I am a 27-year-old, half-American and half-Czech professional tennis player. I hold a broadcast and digital journalism degree from Syracuse University and two Masters degrees from Durham University (renewable energy and marketing). I have had multiple internships and jobs, and I currently work as a Social Media Manager from a Texas tennis conglomerate Dropshot Tournament Series. I turned pro in 2022 upon completing my final degree, turning down a Fulbright research scholarship to study wind turbines in Germany. In just two years, I’ve reached a career-high ranking of 155 WTA so far and have played in all four of the Grand Slams.
When I turned down the Fulbright offer after spending months on the application, my application facilitator asked me whether I was crazy. “Are you sure you don’t want some more time to think about it?” No thanks, I had been thinking about it for months, mulling over the right decision. Luckily, a year or so later, I could email all the people who helped me with my application a year later, saying that I had qualified for a Grand Slam, showing that I had reached one of my goals. At the time, I had figured a job would always be there, but the chance to play professional tennis all over the world is once in a lifetime. Also, it tends to have a certain age cap.
Some much-needed perspective while on tour
Anyway, I hope to give you a unique viewpoint into the life of a professional athlete on the tennis tour. Due to my academic background, I see the tennis world from a birds-eye view. This has been part of my success on tour, as well as its downfall. Another reason for this blog is to try to find that bird’s-eye-view perspective again because I am becoming a bit stuck in the weeds after two years on tour. I spent all of this fall season absolutely panicking about defending points to make the Australian Open. I was catastrophising and constantly analysing the worst-case scenario. And guess what, this scenario did happen, and I will not make the Slam. By about 10 spots! And you know what, it does suck. The reasons why I was so nervous were 100% valid. But at the end of the day, there are more tournaments, more Slams, and more opportunities to be had. It’s not the end of the world if I don’t make one Grand Slam. There will always be the next one. That’s the beauty of this sport, but it’s not always easy to maintain that perspective. So, I hope this blog can help me as much as it entertains you.