Watch It!--Athlete Felix Mischker
Tennis, anyone?
(Two-minute read, plus videos.)
[“Watch It!” is an irregular feature presenting intriguing videos and giving me a break from crafting lugubrious, alliteration-weighted essays.]
Insomnia has knee-capped me this week. It’s six-ten a.m. Friday morning. I’ve been up since one-thirty, having slept since eleven p.m. I don’t know when I’ll slip back into slumber. At moments like these, I despair of ever sleeping again. Sigh.
Sorry; don’t mean to make this about me. That grim intro is by way of saying that today’s videos display the charming grit and grin of a newly-professional athlete, the ninteen-year-old British tennis player Felix Mischker. I would normally do deep-dive due diligence on the guy; he deserves it. I’d set him in the context of other tennis-oriented YouTubers. I’d detail the ins and outs of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) circuit. I’d even pin-spot my days as a junior-tennis player in U.S. Tennis Association (USTA) tournaments. (This was in the nineteen-sixties, shortly before they invented the game.) But I don’t have the energy for any of that. So I’ll just have to make introductions and let you do the work.
I’ve been following Felix for months. Since January, he’s posted weekly videos recording his attempt to secure qualifying points for the ATP circuit. (Spoiler: he did, and went pro in September.) He displays dazzling determination and enviable energy. He’s admirably upbeat even about injuries and flaws. You can’t help cheering him on. Plus: British accent.
His YouTube presence—recording, editing, posting—has steadily improved. He’s an adept voice-over match analyst, a fall-back career if/when the pro circuit grinds him to dust. Do me a favor—poke around his channel. He deserves better than what my sorry, sleep-deprived self can give him today.
Four videos below:
The latest post catalogues a recent match. It shows how hard these guys play; how good they are, even at the bottom of the circuit ladder; how tough it is to sustain match-length energy and will; and how deft a voice-over commentator Felix is. (Seventeen minutes.)
A fascinating overview totaling the cost of pro-tennis play for non-Djokovic grunts. (Twelve minutes.)
A day in the life. Nutrition, exercise, physio visit, training, more. (Seven minutes.)
Coping with injury, an inevitability for elite athletes. (Seven minutes.)
Enjoy!