grew up with him buzz that he could become a great professional tennis player. Expectations that he harbored until he was 18, when he realized he was falling into a dark hole. She used bulimia to try to destroy herself until she finally understood: I needed love. He loved himself, restarted his tennis career and discovered a facet of the world of sport that he no longer wanted in his life. At just 23 years old, he decided to quit his job and devote himself to emotional management. After healing himself, he decided to help others like Novak Djokovic. “I have been judged and will continue to be judged talk about love in a competitive sport“says Pepe Imaz in an interview with Infobae.
It took him years to recognize and understand the difference between being and character. It didn’t happen overnight, but with time and help. “I realized that I was suffering a lot because I wasn’t getting what I wanted, what I thought I was getting, and that others also said I was capable of getting it,” he says. A situation that began ten years ago. He dedicated his life to achieving what others and himself expected, which led to the fear of not meeting expectations as he was committed to tennis at the time. “And that, if it continues, leads to what’s called depression. That depression gets worse to the point where you don’t want to live anymore.” I had bulimia and tried to end my life by eating“It was then, at the age of 18, that he decided to seek help.
He found this help primarily in books; and then with the professionals. “Always in secret, always afraid that they would find out what was happening to me, because I would feel even more like a failure. So I lived everything alone, in silence.” After several years of reading everything he could to find the help he longed for, he realized: “What I seek and need is love. I want to win, to be loved and respected.” From that moment on, everything changed for him. “I started talking to myself with more respect.. Before I judged each shot and thought the ball was short, I missed it… And then with each shot I repeated to myself, “I love myself,” and wrote down at least ten things I liked about myself every day.” Little by little, these habits began to sink in, making him feel “less suffocated” and “certain liberation.”
This love for himself led to his performance on the tennis court beginning to improve. “I’m starting to feel calmer because I don’t need to win anymore to get that false respect. I started playing by loving myself and that made me win.” That’s when he realized, “When I started winning, I didn’t feel good anymore, because the more I won, the more people came to give me this fake love. And I realized that.” I wasn’t prepared carry on win and live in this theater, Because that hurt me.” At the age of 23, he decided to hang up his racket, just as he was doing his best and his career was taking off.
It didn’t take long for tennis to come back into his life. He never thought about training anyone. “Some kids called me to ask if I could and wanted to be their coach. I said yes and started sharing everything I learned.” From that moment on he linked his two worlds: tennis and the emotional component with the athletes who made him their coach. However, this combination brought criticism: “I was judged and I still am, because that’s how it is in a competitive sport.” Talk about love, respect and acceptanceinstead of pointing a knife at yourself and thinking about using iron and killing; It was strange.” Many people who observed his practices thought: ““I was grilled.”
At that time he had managed to reconcile himself with tennis Marko Djokovic (brother of the 24-time Grand Slam champion) appeared in Marbella on the recommendation of one of the tennis players that Pepe Imaz trained. A simple phone call was enough for Marko to try it out, and as he worked with Imaz, the years of suffering, especially the emotional part, gradually dissolved. When he saw the changes his brother was experiencing, Novak was interested in this Pepe guy who had helped Marko so much..
He moved to Monte Carlo to meet the Serbian tennis player. “ANDor I didn’t do anything extraordinary with Novak. The only thing I did was share things that helped me and that he was interested in and wanted to know.” For ten years, Pepe shared all his knowledge of emotional management, the self and the physical body with Djokovic. “It was him who worked with what I could share with him, what he could share with me, and what he could look for elsewhere.” Novak is a wonderful person.who has an extraordinary desire to learn and grow, who has a generosity that is extraordinary.”
In tennis, he assures, mental training is an essential part of his life. “I don’t think there will be a single tennis player who will tell you that the mind is less than 70% important in tennis.” An aspect that needs to be worked on day after day: “I started spending those four hours on the tennis court, but With each hit, he told me, “I love myself,” instead of judging me“A way of working in tennis that, in his opinion, should begin at a young age. For two years, together with the Spanish Tennis Federation, he has been running a course for parents, players and coaches on the subject of emotions in competition and in life, in which he shares everything he has learned.”
Years later he was asked to write a book, and there he recorded everything that popped into his head, everything he had learned for years and applied to himself. “In the book I get rid of my experiences. I show all my wonderful flaws, because our flaws are wonderful. I put it there and maybe you see yourself reflected in something and the solution is always the same: love you, respect you and accept you“.
Now he continues to share everything he has learned over the years. Share your experiences and knowledge. Tell what helped him get out of the hole and love himself, what allowed him to understand the difference between being and character. He tells his story in his book, with lectures given by the tennis association and on the court with various tennis players.
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