Jenson Brooksby is back competing on the ATP Tour, and the American reflected on the impact that autism has had on his tennis career and life more broadly.
Brooksby was considered among the most talented young American players when he came onto the scene. His achievements include reaching the fourth round of the US Open as a 20-year-old.
However, Brooksby’s career took a sudden turn in October 2023 after receiving an 18-month ban for missing three doping tests, putting everything he worked so hard for in severe and unexpected jeopardy.
His situation was eased slightly when the International Tennis Integrity Agency reduced the ban to 13 months, backdated to his last missed test. That meant the suspension was officially lifted in March 2024.
Brooksby has also managed autism since he was a child. He learned how to speak later than most kids and did much work with experts to help him with social interactions and occasions.
In an interview with BBC Sport, Brooksby outlined why he thinks having autism contributed to him breaking the anti-doping rules by missing the three tests. It is challenging for his brain to focus on several things.
“I’ve had my agent keep track of where I will be every day, because it’s hard for my brain to be able to focus well on many different things. It’s a positive for me to be able to focus on a few simple things. But a downside is that there can be so many things going on for us players it’s hard for my mind to be able to wrap around that.”
Although being suspended was a stressful ordeal, Brooksby has come to terms with what happened and uses the experience as motivation to improve whenever the suspension comes into his mind.
“I have had so much time to reflect on it, and it’s in the past. I’m pretty much at peace with it. I think all of us have things that we have been a little disappointed in, and it can be pretty frustrating, but I don’t really think about it any more. If it ever pops into my mind I just use it as a reminder to try to get better.”
Brooksby did not reveal his autism diagnosis until recently. The American chose to do that because he wants to help others who manage it, and for them to know that it is okay to find things challenging sometimes.
“My whole life with my parents, it wasn’t something you are very comfortable sharing because there could be consequences – especially when I was younger. But I’ve learned as I’ve grown up that even with people close to me, the response is very casual and not much is thought about it.”
“I think my desire to be able to help other people with it in certain scenarios – say, if they are trying to become a professional player – was bigger than any negative outcome I could have thought of. I really hope that future players, whether they are vocal about it or not, they at least know it’s OK for them to struggle with it and hopefully be able to explain why.”
