Just a few months ago, Simon Carr took time out of his busy schedule to speak to RTÉ Sport ahead of an exciting opportunity to introduce himself to Irish tennis.
Ireland were set to host a Davis Cup home match for the first time in nine years and the Mullingar native was a key part of Conor Niland’s five-man squad to take on the highly attractive Austria at Limerick’s UL Sports Arena on the opening weekend. February.
Fast forward three months and RTÉ Sport is knocking on the door again, but in very different circumstances.
This time, it’s about closing a huge chapter in her life and looking forward to turning new pages after announcing her retirement from professional tennis at the age of 24 this week.
The decision was a long time in coming and something he thought about in the face of injury setbacks before finally taking the plunge.
“It’s been a long, long process. It’s hard to pinpoint one exact moment,” Carr says.
“There’s a lot of times you read yourself, and it’s become more regular I think in the last couple of years.
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“Obviously I’ve had a lot of fights with my body. I’ve had a broken lower back, a couple of torn hamstrings, hamstring problems, strains in both hips, so I’ve been really unlucky with my body and those kinds of things take their toll over time.”
The loneliness of the sport and the uncompromising travel schedule of the ATP Challenger Tours and ITF World Tennis Tour in far-flung locations have proved to be exacerbating factors over the past 24-30 months.
“A lot of time alone really. The lifestyle is very difficult and after a while it became quite unsustainable for me,” explained Karma.
“A lot of airports, a lot of hotels – alone, that’s the worst. It’s part of the journey of being a professional athlete, but this journey, playing all the matches and all these places was traveling by myself. A lot of time to think, a lot of time to put myself in some negative places and think , that at the end of it all, it just tired me.
“There’s a lot I’ll miss about professional tennis. The things it gave me were undefined and the things I won’t miss, like the travel, the alone time, the isolation time, but I wouldn’t. Trade it for the world.”
Some of the positives were the camaraderie gained on tour among professional pros from all over the planet and the sense of purpose of being a professional athlete.
But for anyone navigating the Challenger and Futures tournaments, it’s a big challenge trying to sustain themselves, given the costs of traveling from place to place – Curry has played everywhere from Belgium to Uganda and Mexico to India and countless other places. In between – as well as a relatively small prize money.
One of the highlights of Carr’s career on a professional tour that saw him rise to No. 512 just before the Covid-19 pandemic hit was winning a $15,000 tournament in Tabarka, Tunisia in April 2019.
This total prize money was distributed among the 32 players in the main draw, gradually increasing each round, meaning that the financial reward for success was fractional.
For example, winning the slightly more lucrative $25,000 tournament would net the overall winner only about £3,500 (€3,250).
“I was really spoiled for the trip (to Tunisia), probably because I did a three-week trip,” Carr says.
“Look, it comes with a territory. It’s the bottom rung of professional tennis, futures, and it’s part of trying to move up.
“All the players you see on TV start there, so you have to start somewhere and yes, they are difficult places because the conditions at these events are very difficult.
“I’ve played in crazy conditions in some of these places, but there are a lot of great players at these futures and they’re all coming out of them, so it’s a bit of a jungle out there and it’s hard to get out of them. And I think that’s a challenge that every professional player faces.
“It’s a tough lifestyle, but it’s an amazingly rewarding experience. Because the stakes are so high in your head, there’s nothing like going through a big match or a match that was a bit of a mental block for you. There’s nothing bigger than that. High and there’s no greater feeling .”
The support of his parents and siblings was invaluable in this journey. His mother introduced him to tennis at the age of nine, while his father, former Irish Dublin player Tommy Curry, was instrumental in helping with strength and conditioning.
“It’s been such a family effort. They’ve been there throughout the journey, texting me after every game, calling me on the phone in the evenings, all of that, and I’ll be forever grateful for the support they’ve given me and I hope I can give back in some way, shape or form in the future.” he says.
As for what’s next, Carr is eyeing the world of business, having completed a part-time open study course at UCD from 2019 to 2022 and then added a business degree at university and an internship at Carr Golf, which he supported. He has over the past few months as he balances February’s Davis Cup match with a new life away from the court.
And as for the future health of Irish tennis, Curry aims to remain in some capacity and is optimistic about the next generation, namely his Davis Cup team-mate Michael Agwi, who has been making his mark in recent weeks.
“I’ve been following Michael Aggie, who’s been playing incredibly well. He’s got so much potential, he’s an incredible athlete and I hope he gets the support he deserves and can do great things.
“He’s a really good guy and I wish him all the best. There are a few other guys. Oscar (Ohoisin) is still playing and doing well. He got a good win this week.
“So I’ve been keeping an eye on some of the youngsters that have come up. Conor Gannon is playing well and has a lot of potential, so I’ll be keeping a close eye and helping him in any way I can.”
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