SAN DIEGO — Dana Mathewson will be representing both San Diego and the United States in wheelchair tennis at the Paralympics in Paris. The 33-year-old, currently ranked 9th in the world, hopes to medal for the first time in her third games.
CBS 8's John Howard recently got a chance to talk with Dana to hear her thoughts about the upcoming games.
John: This is not your first time going to the Paralympics. How do you compare going to the Paralympic Games compared to going to Wimbledon or the US Open?
Dana: That's a great question. You know, no one's asked me that before. It feels different, because this time, you're not just representing yourself, you're representing your country too. So there's a sense of responsibility, there's a sense of honor that comes with it. It feels just as exciting as a major but there's just like a little extra added weight, I guess. And by weight, I mean good things, but there's more weight to it in a lot of ways.
John: What are your goals for the Paralympic games?
Dana: The goal, of course, is to medal. I have really tough people to contend with for a gold and a silver that there's two girls that are basically in every single final of every single tournament that we play. They're just like, for people that watch a lot of able-bodied tennis there are Djokovic and Nadal or Federer like they're just, they're so good. I know that I'm good enough to do it. Of course, I can just, will I do it? I don't know, but of course, I hope so. I think that's the hard part about tennis in comparison to other sports, and not to cheapen other sports at all, because other sports are extremely difficult, and I don't think I'd medal at any other sport, but with tennis, I have to come in and win every single day, instead of just win on one day to get a medal, and that makes it tough that you have to have your performance strung out over a week's time. It's not so easy to guarantee that you might do really well day after day. So hopefully I do it, but we'll see.
John: Dana, we wish you the best of luck, and thanks again for joining us. We really appreciate it.
Dana's first match is scheduled for Friday, August 30 at 3 a.m. PT. More on the entire Wheelchair Tennis schedule>>
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