Australian tennis player Andrew Whittington joined tennis reporter Jedd Zetzer and former pro player Jake Eames in this weeks episode of The First Serve's 'Aussies Only' podcast.
The former Australian Open semifinalist joined the show to provide an insight into his journey and what he's been up to since putting a pause to his playing career.
Amongst many discussions about his playing career, Whittington provided insight into his Wimbledon qualifying run in 2017.
"I remember hitting for the first time on Wimbledon courts, because obviously we've gone from Roehampton to Wimby and I hit there for the first time with Bolty (Alex Bolt). I reckon I hit for half an hour and my golly gosh it was slow. It was one of the slowest things I've ever hit on, slower than a hot day on clay. When I did that hit, it got in my head a little bit, coming from Roehampton where it was slick, serve volley, really punching through the courts to Wimby that was kind of just sitting up and you could just tee off, so that kind of hurt me a bit," Whittington said.
The former Australian Open doubles semifinalist revealed the reasoning behind his decision to put a pause on his playing career:
"My hips aren't great, I get a lot of back pain. I guess the biggest thing that was hurting me was I wasn't enjoying it as much. I lost that passion. I wear my heart on my sleeve so I'm a very vocal person on court. I did lose that passion for a while and if you lose that passion its really tough to get back. I really wasn't in a great head space so I needed something to change, so I've stepped away and I'm really enjoying myself now," Whittington explained.
However, Whittington hasn't shut the door completely on a potential return to the tour: "If anything, I still enjoy doubles. Lets just leave that door open, it's not fully shut," Whittington said.
To catch the full discussion, including what Andrew's up to since retiring, make sure to listen in below on your preferred podcast platform!