Tennis United: Fognini & Vesnina On Juggling Parenthood With Playing
Being a professional tennis player and touring the world can be rewarding, but also strenuous and pressurised. Juggling competing with parenthood can increase that further.
Just ask Fabio Fognini and Elena Vesnina, as they sat down to discuss how they mix the joys of parenting with playing in episode four of Tennis United: Crosscourt.
“Your body is changing, [you deal with] hormones and sleepless nights,” Vesnina said about the aftermath of the birth of her daughter, Elizaveta. “She was not sleeping, she is a very active baby. I was enjoying it so much, even without sleeping. This is mum’s power. It is the toughest job in the world, but the best one. You see the smile of your baby and forget everything.”
Fognini said, “It is tough. When you are a player you have routines. It is always difficult and at the moment they [the children] stay home, so I [miss them]. When in Europe, every time I finish a tournament, I have the chance to go back.”
On how parenting has changed Fognini’s perspective on life and tennis, the Italian told Vesnina: “When you are on court, you try your best and try to reach your goal. But when you are home, it is done. In the past five years, I have changed in a really good way.”
The ATP and WTA are teaming again in 2021 for Tennis United: CrossCourt, a continuation of the award-winning digital content series originally released during the 2020 suspended season. The reimagined project marks the first major co-branded initiative to debut since the two Tours integrated marketing operations earlier this year.
Tennis United: CrossCourt goes behind the scenes of life on Tour through a series of intimate one-on-one conversations between ATP and WTA stars. Spanning eight short-format episodes, players explore a range of largely untouched subjects from within and beyond sport, offering fans a raw perspective on the experiences, pressures and privileges that make up life in professional tennis.
The complete episode list:
• Episode 1: Relationships (Gael Monfils & Elina Svitolina)
• Episode 2: Coaching (Felix Auger-Aliassime & Jennifer Brady)
• Episode 3: Doubles (Bethanie Mattek-Sands & Jamie Murray)