Marino’s perseverance pays off
Rebecca Marino says she made the right decision when she stepped away from tennis in 2013, but now she’s better prepared for chapter two of her career.
Marino hit a career-high No. 38 in the WTA rankings in 2011 but, two years later, she had dropped out of the top 400. Negative comments on social media and selfdoubt affected her play and her mental health. Tennis ceased to be enjoyable.
She returned home to Vancouver where she went back to school and tried her hand at rowing. Her uncle George Hungerford rowed to a gold medal for Canada in the 1964 Olympic Games in Tokyo. She dealt with her problems, eventually becoming an advocate for mental health.
Marino’s return to tennis in 2018 has had its ups and downs including an injury which sidelined her for all of 2020 and the death of her father, but she said her upset win over 16th-seeded Madison Keys of the U.S. in the first round of the National Canadian Open on Monday is a sign her hard work is paying off.
“I think it’s evident in the way I’m playing right now, that I’m even back in the game,” said Marino. “I think it was the right decision at the time for me to step away from the game. I know some people didn’t understand it at the time, but I’m really proud of the decisions I made because it made me feel like a completely whole individual, and it made me rediscover my love and passion for the sport. I think it shows when I play.
“I try to show that at least,” she added with a smile.
“I think it also shows that I’m in a completely different head space now because I did take that time to sort of make sure that I was taking care of myself, staying healthy mentally, physically, then come back into the game when I was ready,” she said.
The win Monday showed Marino is capable of playing on a big stage but her ranking — she came into this week at No220 — means she spends most of her time on the ITF women’s circuit which offers limited ranking points and prize money. She has $135,000 US in earnings this year and $102,000 of that came when she reached the second round of the Australian Open.
“I want to play those big events,” said Marino. “I do feel like I’m a little underranked right now. It’s using tournaments like this where I do get a wild card, capitalizing on the opportunity as much as I can to earn those ranking points and get my ranking back up. That’s what I tried to do in Australia, getting back in the qualifying and winning that first round.
“It’s a little different right now with the pandemic and everyone’s rankings are kind of all over the place. I just have to kind of keep my head down and just focus on my game and know that the results will follow.
“For quite a long time, too, this year as a Canadian, I was dictated by knowing how long I should travel,” said Marino. “I was travelling for two months at a time, then I’d return home. I would do the full quarantine for two weeks, get back in my training, and head out for another two months.
“Luckily we have the exemption for fully vaccinated Canadians now, so I can probably play around with my schedule a little bit more. That’s what I’ve been doing, big blocks through the year and really long trips I wouldn’t normally do. I’m hoping to sort of adjust my schedule.”
Marino said she wasn’t intimidated by Keys’ strong serve and forehand because “I know I also have an equally big serve and big forehand, so I just had to give it my best shot. Got a couple breaks of serve, and that was pretty much it. Really happy I capitalized on the opportunity of winning that match, and excited for the next one.”
That will come Wednesday when she faces Paula Badosa of Spain.