FORMER tennis star David Wheaton has opened up about why he decided to completely switch careers after retiring from the sport.
Wheaton, 54, turned professional in July 1988 and quickly climbed up the ranks.
Wheaton achieved a career-high world ranking of No.12
He is now an author and radio producer
By 1991, he had achieved a career-high ranking of world No12 following an impressive run of Grand Slam results.
That year, he reached the semi-final of Wimbledon after beating Petr Korda, Cedric Pioline, Ivan Lendl, Jan Gunnarsson and Andre Agassi.
He also won the prestigious Grand Slam Cup – a tournament which included 16 of the best tennis stars in the world.
But Wheaton recently opened up about his experience in the aftermath of the Cup and how it ultimately led to his change in careers.
Speaking to American broadcaster Michele Tafoya on her YouTube channel, he said: “Back when I was 22, I had just qualified for a tournament called the Grand Slam Cup in Munich, Germany.
“They took just 16 players to this tournament based on how you did on the four Grand Slam events in that year, so by virtues of getting to the semi-final of Wimbledon that year I qualified.
“This was back in the early 1990s. I got into this event, there was a lot on the line, I was excited just to be there, just to qualify, not thinking that I would advance far into the tournament.
“I won my first couple of matches, I was in the semi-finals, I beat the Wimbledon champion of that year which was Michael Stich. That was on a Saturday night, I get back to my hotel room, I can’t sleep very well, then I have to play the final the next day against Michael Chang.
“I went out the next day and just played one of the best matches of my career, I beat Michael Chang in three sets.”
Wheaton then went on to recall what happened after the match, adding: “There was this picture of me after the match, clenching my fists over to where my family and coaches were at the side of the court.
“This was the biggest moment in my career, there was a trophy presentation afterwards and while I was holding the trophy I just remember thinking: ‘Wow, where did everyone go?’
“The stands had emptied out just 10 minutes after the biggest moment of my tennis career. It really just came to an end very, very quickly.
“I went back to the locker room and was thinking: ‘How am I going to motivate myself for when the next tournament comes along?’
“That tournament started a process of soul searching in my life.”
After retiring from professional tennis in 2001, Wheaton embarked on a new career in radio, writing, and speaking.
He is now the the producer and host of The Christian Worldview, a live talk radio program in the US.
