Evelyn Mayr draws a line: “Tennis was my life”

Since January, neither of the two women from Pustertal has played a single tournament match. While Julia Mayr has to take a break of several months, Evelyn Mayr has even ended her career.

Swimming and tennis instructor

After she had to sit out again and again last year due to shoulder problems, she now decided, at the age of 23, to put her tennis racket in the corner. “It was incredibly difficult for me, especially since tennis was simply my life,” explains Evelyn Mayr, adding: “Four hours of training a day, my body can't keep up with that. Many people advised me against surgery, so I tried physiotherapy for months. But it didn't help at all.” However, the rehabilitation program did have one positive aspect. “That’s where I discovered my passion for swimming. I would like to take the exam soon and work as a swimming instructor in the future, and maybe give tennis lessons at the same time. Because you can’t do it without tennis,” smiles the 23-year-old.

In her short professional career, her best placement in the world rankings is 301st (in July 2010). One of Evelyn Mayr's greatest successes was her victory at the Mediterranean Games in 2009. She won a total of seven $10.000 tournaments in singles and seven in doubles as well. Always at the side of her sister Julia, who is two years younger.

Julia Mayr doesn't want to give up

She doesn't even want to think about tennis at the moment, even though she had so many plans before the start of the season. “I completely took over myself. Suddenly I had incredibly high pulse rates and body aches and just felt completely weak. In tennis language, this is called overtraining,” explains Julia Mayr. At the moment she has to make do with light running sessions and careful fitness training.

In the meantime, she has slipped to 440th place in the world rankings, although not long ago she was listed as number 215 in the WTA computer. But the 21-year-old from Valdaora has absolutely no intention of giving up: “Backing down is out of the question. I can already see the light at the end of the tunnel and now I have to overcome the last part. I want to play international tournaments again in June or July.” Then she can fully rely on the support of her sister, who will be cheering on the sidelines of the tennis court in the future.

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Evelyn Mayr draws a line: “Tennis was my life”

For years, Julia and Evelyn Mayr were considered the epitome of the outstanding young tennis talent in South Tyrol. Both made it into professional sports at a very young age. But suddenly things have become quiet around the two tennis sisters from Valdaora.

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