Tennis Channel Inside-In: Shelby Rogers is still trusting the process and making her career count

Shelby Rogers is a tennis survivor.

She’s lasted well over a decade on the WTA, overcoming obstacles to play the best tennis of her career these last few seasons. If you’re trying to create a blueprint for longevity in tennis, it’s safe to say that Rogers checks a lot of the boxes. Her work ethic is top notch, and her attitude remains upbeat in the face of adversity.

But above all else, she’s mastered the art of what is known as, “riding the wave.” The powerful phrase and psychological practices is derived form the surfing community, who do not fight the powerful wave of water, but adjust their own actions to ride its natural tide.

We know tennis full of emotional swings. One week you’re in an unstoppable zone where you cannot miss, and then the next, your game has escaped you. Rogers remains firmly in the mix and as poised as ever to succeed because she rides the wave as well as anyone, and is always on to the next challenge.

Rogers has long been known as one of the game’s nicest individuals. The fact that she is so liked in such a competitive industry reveals exactly the type of character she has, but it also hides some of her other qualities. The Charleston native has a willingness to play through a great deal of pain, most evident at her Wimbledon appearance this summer.

Rogers tore her ab days before the match, but stayed in the event for a scheduled match against Elena Rybakina. Rogers competed admirably, taking the defending champ to three tough sets in a losing effort. There was a lot of motivation to play that match, which featured Roger Federer and Princess Kate in attendance.

“It was a very cool experience. I just told myself before going on court, soak it all in. No matter how you’re feeling, you’re nervous, try to enjoy this moment any way you can,” Rogers stated. “We could hear the rain pouring down on the roof. Just the contrast of loud rain, loud cheers, and then just absolute silence during the points. All you could hear was the ball being struck. It was pretty incredible.”

In 2022, Rogers reached a career-high ranking of No. 30. She’s reached two major quarterfinals, notched seven Top 10 wins, and advanced to the final of three WTA events. Yet, that first career title still eludes her. Rogers acknowledges this void openly, but does not stress or fret about it’s absence. She explained that while winning a title is a monumental achievement that she is aggressively pursuing, it is not healthy for an athlete to tie their existence to results.

“I read this article that Andy Roddick did,” Rogers began. “And he was talking about how he had won the US Open and he had 30 something titles outside of that, but all anyone talked about was him not winning another Grand Slam. Just speaking to the fact of not winning titles, it’s never enough for anyone else.

"So you’ve just got to be so content with who you are inside, with your identity. That’s a big part where my Christian faith comes in. I’m really content with my identity outside of tennis, so the wins and losses don’t change my value as a person.”

In 25 minutes of terrific conversation, Rogers reveals much of what makes her the standout professional that she has always been.

She approaches each new challenge as an opportunity to enhance her life, and continues to grind at the highest level of her craft. Each setback provides new opportunities, such as this recent trip to the Tennis Channel broadcast booth. Rogers loves staying involved in the game while she's unable to play, and is quick to point out that the ability to scout your future opponents from the commentary perch is tough to beat.

Whether she's reminiscing about her US Open triumph against Ashleigh Barty; lamenting the retirement of a friend like CoCo Vandeweghe; or waxing poetically about her hockey heroes, the Tampa Bay Lightning, Rogers remains in high spirits. Perhaps that's a lesson we can all learn.