Paralympian and Grand Slam Champion Dana Mathewson visited Sage Hill on April 9 to share her journey as a paraplegic tennis player.

At the age of 10, Mathewson became paralyzed from the waist down due to an autoimmune condition called transverse myelitis.

As Mathewson struggled to adjust to her new circumstances, her mom encouraged her to sign up for wheelchair sports camps. Despite some initial reluctance, she quickly fell in love with tennis and regained her confidence.

“At these camps, I saw so many people just like me, and that really gave me a new sense of community,” Mathewson said.

Mathewson’s love and dedication towards tennis continued to grow and eventually led her to play Division I tennis at the University of Arizona. There, she learned to balance her athletic commitments with schoolwork, sacrificing social events to stay focused on her training. 

After graduating, Mathewson went on to become a professional tennis player, representing Team USA in international tournaments and eventually winning a historic Grand Slam title at the 2022 Wimbledon Championships. Her numerous other accolades include her current ranking as the nation’s top female wheelchair tennis player, competing as a World Cup team member and representing Team USA at the Rio, Tokyo and Paris Paralympics.

“On a typical day of training with Team USA, I had two hours of hitting practice, then lunch, and then lifting, followed by another two hours of hitting,” Mathewson said. “To close off the day of training, I usually attended mental skills training, in which we practiced techniques such as visualization and breathwork.”

Mathewson emphasizes that her journey shows there is more than one road to personal success. Although her paralysis could have presented a major roadblock in becoming a professional athlete, she chose to find a different path instead of letting go of her dream.

“As an athlete, there’s definitely a lot of obstacles we face mentally and physically, but hearing her story and seeing how she faced such a big physical challenge and still found a way around it and persevered when others might have given up taught me that there is always a way around any challenge,” Freshman Maria Neemuchwala said.

After retiring from professional tennis last year, Mathewson’s goals have shifted to organizing major tennis tournaments such as the Miami Open as well as being a commentator for events like the U.S. Open. 

“I hope that by sharing my story with people, I can elevate other athletes like me and break down stereotypes. Everyone has issues – mine is just visible,” Mathewson said.