!Acing-depression-a-tennis-champions-toughest-match [[Although tennis has had a good run of high-profile autobiographies in recent years (John McEnroe, Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi are among the contributors), tennis has produced a consistent stream of "small" books, often by relatively obscure publishers, to help advance the official record and history of the game. The latest addition to that bookshelf is Acing Depression, but early Open-era star Cliff Richey.
Granted, the title of the book isn't exactly up-beat, but this is a true and at times moving story of one man's struggle against an illness that is both widespread and debilitating; that the author of this confessional volume was a high-performance athlete is somewhat remarkable.
The social value of a book like this is obvious, while perusing it I also came across numerous passages that ought to be of keen interest to any tennis fan for the light they shed on what the tennis life was like in that early Open era, so there's a straight historical value to the book as well.]]
- PB
by Karen Pestaina(@GVTennisNews on Twitter)
Cliff Richey was one of the original “bad boys” of tennis. Nicknamed “the Bull” he reached the pinnacle of his 26-year career in 1970 when he led the United States to the Davis Cup championship, finished atop the first-ever Grand Prix standings (the precursor to the modern ATP rankings) and ended the year as the No. 1 American player. His new book (full title: Acing Depression: A Tennis Champion’s Toughest Match, from New Chapter Press, April 2010.
The Richeys became the first brother and sister ever to top the US rankings. And they recently agreed to do a short question-and-answer session with me via email.
Karen Pestaina: What led you to write the book?
Cliff Richey: I wrote the book knowing that there were millions of people suffering. When I was at my lowest point I hunted everything I could get my hands on to read that would give me even the slightest hope. I wrote the book because I felt like my first hand knowledge of the disease could help others.
KP: When did realize that you were ill?
CR: I knew there was something really wrong in August of 1994. I had felt that way before but I had always managed to pull out of it. August of 1994 was the beginning of three years of hell and through most of it I was somewhat functional. In the fall of 1996 my friend and dermatologist diagnosed my disease. Thank goodness because shortly after that I became non-functional. I went on medication but it hadn't kicked in yet.
KP: How was it collaborating on the book with your daughter?
CR: It went very well. She, over the period of several months, had written down over 200 questions so we spent 4 months putting it together by responding to those questions. The fact that she has a PhD in comparative literature and had written 2 academic books was great because she is an experienced writer.
KP: Do you think that as an elite athlete you were better equipped to fight depression than the average person due to your competitive nature?
CR: It's a double-edged sword - an athlete particularly an individual sport athlete can sometimes try to fight the battle on his own too long. The upside is that in my case my biggest weapon in my pro career was my fierce competitiveness. Once I knew my opponent, my professional training was a big help.
KP: Do you think that more athletes suffer from depression than reported?
CR: Yes. Elite athletes tend to be very driven people. I really believe that the characteristics of high achievers can spawn clinical depression. It is a disease that in general tends to be under reported anyway.
KP: What has this experience taught you and what do you want others to gain from reading the book?
CR: One of the big things it has taught me is that God has created human beings with great resilience. I have had three major breakdowns and with good recovery I am back leading a productive life. It changes you and there is definitely some scar tissue but as I say in my speeches there is hope in recovery. The healthy human condition has hope as it's main ingredient. Clinical depression takes away hope and as I say I'm living proof that recovery is real and that people who are suffering can once again feel hope.
KP: How can the general public support the battle against depression?
CR: By becoming more educated as a society we all know what most of the diseases are that we all battle. Most people don't have near the knowledge about the disease of clinical depression. Just by acknowledging that clinical depression is a disease will help to destigmatize it. We are making gains in that area but there is still a lot of work to do.
Nancy Richey:
Karen Pestaina: What was it like growing up with two champion tennis players in the household? Was there rivalry or jealousy at all between you?
Nancy Richey: There was not jealousy but we had a healthy competitiveness whenever we would practice with one another. It was a big advantage to have it built in.
KP: When did you realize that your brother was dealing with depression? What was your initial reaction?
NR: As with the rest of the family we knew things were not right during most of the last major breakdown. We were all relieved when there was a diagnosis made and there was a positive course of action put in place.
KP: Were you surprised that your brother wrote a book about his battles with depression?
NR: No. He had already been a mental health advocate for seven years before sitting down to write the book. He had organized a celebrity golf tournament for mental health and had given many speeches.
KP: What advice would you give to families who have a member suffering with depression?
NR: Get educated, be there for them and if nothing more let them pour their heart out to you. The worst thing that you can say to someone who has clinical depression is "just get over it."
KP: What are you doing these days, in and out of tennis circles?
NR: I have actually been helping Cliff as his assistant with emailing, Facebook, and the social networking that he is not good at. Cliff and I also are in the middle of a Texas tour of cities giving tennis clinics and giving out books at luncheon speeches. Needless to say, the book has been very positive for both of us and we have been very busy.