Playing with Autism: The Incredible Story of Jenson Brooksby

Streaming ATP Next Gen Finals live tennis

🎾 Alex Michelsen vs Learner Tien

* You can watch and bet on this match live here..

Not too long ago, a scruffy-looking young man with blond hair and a tremendously unorthodox game was threatening to become one of the most dangerous dark horses on the circuit. Facing him in the first round could mean a deadly danger, as Casper Ruud experienced, who succumbed in the first week of the 2023 Australian Open against him. No one could have guessed that would be the last professional victory for Jenson Brooksby... throughout two full seasons.

Because the American is only 24 years old, but he has already lived through the toughest experiences a tennis player can endure. The glamour of the elite and victories in the best arenas gave way to a descent into hell with two specific names: two major surgeries due to serious injuries and a suspension for missing three anti-doping tests. In between, doubts about whether the effort was worth it, the support of his family and friends to continue sacrificing for tennis... and the courage to reveal something unknown to the circuit: that Jenson Brooksby has autism since he was very young, shaping his personality and his approach to this sport.

INJURIES, SUSPENSIONS, AND A THORNY PATH

But let's start from the beginning. The last time we saw Jenson on the court was at that Australian Open: two full years have passed since that distant encounter, and the aftermath of success was filled with obstacles. In March of that year, Brooksby underwent surgery for a severe injury to his left wrist. In May, another surgery followed, this time on his right wrist. In October, as he began the recovery process, the third blow arrived, the most severe of all: the ITIA sanctioned him for not being present at three anti-doping tests during a twelve-month period.

Brooksby presented various circumstances and communication failures that exempted him from any possible negligence, which eventually lightened his sentence. He could have returned to the circuit in March of this year, but everything that had happened overwhelmed him, and to top it off, when he returned to the courts, he began to feel pain in his shoulder. He stopped, disconnected, and started building a new team (including former player Rhyne Williams) to leave behind all the past and prepare for a comeback starting in 2025.

"A lot of really bad things happened at the same time. Mentally, it was too much to process. It's been two frustrating years, I easily got depressed," he stated in remarks to AP. With the recovery process nearing its end and an exhausting preseason at the USTA facilities, Brooksby faces a new chapter in his career with enthusiasm, a clean slate that also involves shedding a small burden he had always felt.

AUTISM, PRESENT IN HIS LIFE FROM A VERY YOUNG AGE

When he was very young, Jenson Brooksby was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. Not only that: until the age of four, Brooksby had nonverbal autism, meaning he barely spoke or interacted with his environment. He spent over 40 hours a week with neuropsychiatrists to, as he puts it, "be able to simply start speaking... and improve in social and communication situations." One person was crucial in his growth: Michelle Wagner, a behavior analyst specializing in autism spectrum disorders. She began treating him just before he turned three: his progress, in her words, is "unique and unusual."

Wagner supervised Jenson's treatment for over three years, identifying the challenges that this child presented right from the start. "It was clear he needed intensive intervention. He had some behavioral challenges that placed him behind his age group," the psychiatrist pointed out, emphasizing that Brooksby, above all, struggled to understand the consequences of his actions.

However, Brooksby, as a prelude to what would be a brilliant mind in his early sporting journey, turned a "fairly severe case" into one that sits "on the mild part of the spectrum." And now, of course, it's time to serve as an example and inspire all those children going through something similar: to show that one can be successful and use this condition to your own benefit.

"It's something I no longer want to keep to myself. It's clear it's a very personal issue, something I didn't feel comfortable confessing to people I cared about for a long time. But I always thought about it... and over time, I wanted to share it," courageously states Jenson, who affirms that it becomes a "great advantage" in pressure moments on the court, as it allows him to "focus on two or three very specific details for a long period of time."

However, he also admits that, in some ways, playing tennis becomes tougher: he must avoid outbursts of anger if things don't go his way, and his coaches have been able to identify patterns in his body language indicating his discomfort, such as touching his clothes and hair or leaning forward with hands on his knees.

THE MOST ANTICIPATED COMEBACK

"The goal is to become a better player. That's my main objective." On the court, Brooksby knows the road back will be long: he has no ATP ranking (although he can use a protected ranking to enter top tournaments worldwide) and has gone two years without playing a competitive match. How his body will respond to the two wrist surgeries is uncertain, but he will approach each match with purpose and a sense of relief: knowing that the audience now understands him much better. "I just want people to know who I am, without constraints, and that I'm showing another side of myself. I had a lot of time to think about what I wanted to do." Now all that's left is for his tennis to once again impress the public. Welcome back, Jenson.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Jugar con autismo: la increíble historia de Jenson Brooksby