When athletes imagine retirement, they often dream of going out with a blaze of glory, finishing at the pinnacle of their careers. However, the reality is that retirement frequently happens unexpectedly or due to unanticipated hardships. Very seldom does a career end as planned.
Retirement is overwhelming for many athletes because it is human nature to fear the unexpected. Nonetheless, the uncertainties and doubts that accompany retirement can be mitigated through simple preparation. If you ask former WTA player Melanie Oudin, this preparation is crucial to succeeding in life after tennis.
The world fell in love with Oudin as she virtually became famous overnight after she upset Maria Sharapova at the 2009 US Open and eventually moved on to the quarterfinals, becoming the youngest woman to accomplish the feat since Serena Williams in 1999.
She quickly developed into one of the top athletes in the sports, rising as high as No. 31 in the world and becoming the third-best American woman behind the Williams sisters. Oudin went on to win the Mixed Doubles title at the US Open alongside Jack Sock in 2011, and then won her first WTA title at the Aegon Classic in 2012.
However, she was plagued by series of injuries and a heart arrhythmia that kept her from returning to the level that she once reached. Oudin ultimately made the decision to retire from professional tennis exactly eight years after her historic run on Arthur Ashe in 2009.
“Making the decision to retire was really hard for me,” said Oudin. “I struggled with the decision for a while, probably for over six months. I had been a tennis player my whole life. It was almost like an identity crisis. What was I going to be if I wasn’t a tennis player anymore? That was all I had ever known.”
She initially struggled to find her niche off of the court, but she eventually took on a fresh perspective and optimistic mindset on retirement. “I realized that I needed to be patient and take some time to try a bunch of different things,” she explained. “I’m only 26, and it’s cool that I have a lot of time for a whole new career.”
Nonetheless, Oudin recognizes the challenges that have come along with her early retirement. “At the same time, it’s also a little bit scary. I never really thought that I would have to have a whole other career,” she said. “When you’re a player, you’re only concentrating on the present. You’re not thinking about what you’re going to do after tennis. Nobody is thinking about that, and I wasn’t either. I’ve learned a ton about myself living on my own and being independent, knowing that I have to make decisions myself.”
Now a year removed from the sport, Oudin urges other athletes to have a plan of attack when it comes to life after tennis. When asked what advice she would give to tennis players before retiring, she said, “Honestly, I would tell players to have an idea of what they want to do in the back of their minds. I know it’s not the most fun to think about when you’re currently playing, but you should have some sort of idea in the back of your mind. It’s definitely a lot scarier when you retire and then you start to think about what you want to do, instead of already having an idea. It’s helpful to have something you’re considering.”
On the other hand, the advice Oudin wishes she could go back in time and tell herself on the day she announced her retirement is simple: “I would tell myself that everything is going to be ok.”
Today, Oudin is getting her feet wet in a number of opportunities within the tennis realm. She has spent time on the court coaching, commentating, working at charity events and dabbling in public speaking. Down the road, she aspires to create her own foundation one day.
No matter what the future holds, Oudin knows that she will use the valuable life-lessons she has learned through the sport to guide her through future endeavors. Along with the instant fame following her extraordinary run at the US Open came a great deal of outside pressure.
“Everyone expected me to win all the time and that just wasn’t realistic because I still was so young, I was only 17. I still had a lot to learn, I still had a lot to mature. All of the sudden, every tournament, it was the end of the world if I lost,” she explained.
While Oudin handled the expectations from the public the best she could for her age, she said that if she could change something, it would be to have not let the pressure get to her.
Nevertheless, she has taken the experience of handling the immense pressure and expectations forward with her as she has matured. “I have learned you can’t let people get to you. You just have to worry about you and do the best that you can, let the rest just be white noise in the background,” she said.
Additionally, Oudin learned the value of perseverance throughout her career while coming back from health issues and injury. Most importantly, however, she will carry forward the coined ‘Believe’ motto that she famously wore on her shoes nine years ago at the US Open.
“I wasn’t the tallest or strongest player,” Oudin explained. “Not a lot of people thought that I would make it as a pro and have the successes that I did just because of my stature, that’s where the motto ‘Believe’ came from. When I was young, I was always very focused. I knew what I wanted, and I went for my goals. I was lucky enough to play tennis as my job, so ‘Believe is something I will always have with me in anything I do.”
For now, Oudin is still unsure exactly what lies ahead. But with the combination of fierce perseverance and belief, she is certainly equipped to succeed in life after tennis.