Sports stars that don't love what they do

[Timmo]

That Tonic stuff makes me laugh. Of course he could have been less abrasive, but he gets to do what he wants for the rest of his life. Fair play.

[Wallpaper]

The last past of his interview is a bit odd for someone that doesnt care about tennis

 

“Not many things can make me super happy,” Tomic added. “If I ever get the chance to win a grand slam, I think only then will I feel the feeling of being really, really happy.”

[Waggo]

Tennis is full of people who at the very least don’t like all aspects of the tour.  
 

Naomi Osaka for one hates the media side of it, Serena Williams got to the stage where she was only turning up for the Grand Slams but she was that far ahead of anybody else she could get away with it.  Other players notably Garbine Muguruza have tried it without Williams talent and got caught out, to the extent she appears to be disrespectful of her opponents and just plain irritable every time you see her play these days.

 

Kyrgios has openly stated he would rather play basketball than tennis, while Alexander Bublik has publicly stated he hates tennis and is only there for the money.

 

I think with tennis at least pushy parents play quite a big part in a lot of players early careers.  Even Raducanu hinted at the weekend that her father is a tough man to please.

[Plissken]

It strikes me that because it is a largely middle class sport, tennis parenting gets to be described as "pushy" rather than "toxic".

[Waggo]

Yeah fair point.  Gymnastics probably falls into the same category as well.

[jonathanhoey]

Look at Lars Ulrich. Grandfather and father were both tennis players. He gets sent off to the USA as a teenager to try and become a tennis pro himself, fucks it off and starts Metallica.

[Naysonymous]

Does that say more about how talented his family were or how important privilege and opportunity are?

[Plissken]

A bit of both.

 

Famously, the easiest and most straightforward way to gain membership of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club is to win Wimbledon.

 

I imagine getting membership to the British Racing Drivers Club is similar.

[MrPogo]

Quite a few sports require you to be seriously competing as a young kid if you want to turn pro; F1, swimming, gymnastics and tennis all seem to be “if you’re not dedicating all your spare time to travelling the country and competing seriously by about 6 or 7 it’s too late”, and I guess without a pushy parent that’s not likely to happen.

[Oh Danny Boy]

50 minutes ago, MrPogo said:

Quite a few sports require you to be seriously competing as a young kid if you want to turn pro; F1, swimming, gymnastics and tennis all seem to be “if you’re not dedicating all your spare time to travelling the country and competing seriously by about 6 or 7 it’s too late”, and I guess without a pushy rich parent that’s not likely to happen.

Corrected 

[ChewMagma]

Listen to 95% of snooker players talk about the sport and it is obvious they have at best a love/hate relationship with it. It is so hard to play and you basically have to start by the age of 6 or you've got no chance.

[Jammy]

Eubank is a funny one. I know at times he said he didn’t like boxing much, but he cared enough to nearly kill himself in a few of his fights, like the Benn and Watson ones. Although he was never quite the same fighter after what happened to Michael Watson though. Became more of a boxer who would rather win on points than going for knockouts.

[Junker]

This is slightly different but Nick Powell is an interesting one. He’s really good at football but says he’s not bothered about winning or promotion. So strange. 
https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/nick-powell-man-utd-ferguson-18083673

[GamesGamesGames]

10 minutes ago, Junker said:

This is slightly different but Nick Powell is an interesting one. He’s really good at football but says he’s not bothered about winning or promotion. So strange. 
https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/nick-powell-man-utd-ferguson-18083673

 

He was bothered about his next pint more. Shame, because he was very, very good.

[Gabe]

What's the infamous defeat to Wolfsburg mentioned in the article about? 

[GamesGamesGames]

3 hours ago, Gabe said:

What's the infamous defeat to Wolfsburg mentioned in the article about? 

 

Not the big deal that makes it sound like. He came on with United chasing the game. They didn't get the result and the sub was used to beat both him and van Gaal over the head with. He didn't have a terrible game or anything, and had he come on for a player other than Mata, it would have gone unnoticed.

[JLM]

Ronnie O'Sullivan, especially in more recent years. Hard to know if it's really the sport or because he's generally quite a troubled guy though. Definitely not happy with the tour structures/prize money/standard of new players. Also in an interview last year said most snooker players have wasted their life, he'd discourage his kids from playing it, that the solitary practise in darkened rooms does a lot of damage and that he'd have pursued F1 or Golf instead if he could do it again. 

[Gabe]

@JLM I think it's a combination of all of that. He's been very open in the past about his mental health and various struggles, but he's also shown an almost disdain for snooker. I wonder what other players privately think about him when he is constantly disparaging the sport?

[ChewMagma]

As a long time follower of snooker, Ronnie says a lot of stuff all the time, stuff that contradicts the stuff he said earlier in the day sometimes, stuff that would have garnered headlines 20 years ago but barely elicits an eyeroll now from fans, journos and other players. Everything he says and does should be taken with a huge pinch of salt.

 

The stuff about him not wanting his kids to play though did cause some of the other players to get angry, but more because he probably isn't even being sincere rather than because he strongly believes it.

 

You cannot be 7 times World Champion at a sport like snooker and not retain an obsessive interest in it at some level, it isn't possible.

[Art Vandelay]

I think he’s been quite vocal about how the players on the circuit now get flogged to death to “broaden the appeal of the game”, which is fair enough really. I love the guy, and this isn’t meant to be disparaging to anything he’s been through, but he’s similar to Tony Adams in that he talks like he’s been through a lot of therapy. I think that just means he’s an open tap with his thoughts and feelings which makes him interesting but very unfiltered.

 

Saying all that he’s been the best player at any table he’s been on since his late teens which understandably saps your motivation. 

[Orion]

I've seen it mentioned that he just gets asked the same questions over and over by snooker journalists, every tournament. Since the 90's now. It must be very annoying and boring, he does perk up occasionally when asked interesting questions too, which is rare. Plus he has shown he has an incredible knowledge of the history of snooker when he has been an analyst for Eurosport too.

 

I don't think he hates the sport he competes in like others here like Kyrgios but he is often bored of it and dealing with the press. So lashes out. Sometimes sadly at other players who don't deserve it.

[g wings]

I get the impression that for most Premier League footballers being a player is just a side hustle to being a full-time cunt.