Top-ranked American wheelchair tennis player Dana Mathewson says recently relocating to Orlando to train at the USTA National Campus has transformed her competitive mindset—and may have even extended her career.
Mathewson, who contracted a rare neurological disease known as Transverse Myelitis at age 10, has been a touring pro on the ITF/UNIQLO Wheelchair Tennis Tour for over ten years, and has been the top-ranked American woman for much of it. She is currently ranked world No. 10 in singles and world No. 7 in doubles. Having largely trained independently previously while she was an audiology student at the University of Arizona and University College London, the 30-year-old made the decision to commit to full-time training in Orlando early last year, just prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
After kicking off her season with a runner-up finish at an event in Loughborough, Great Britain, where she scored the best win of her career by ranking, Mathewson caught up with USTA.com to discuss the motivations behind her move to Orlando, closing the gap against the game's best players, her aspirations for the Tokyo Paralympics and more.
Click here for USTA.com's full, exclusive interview with Mathewson.
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