Episode #21 Season 25: Shaun Boyce & Justin Yeo

🎾 What This Episode Is Really About

Is tennis good or bad for your mental health?

That depends on who you ask — and what level you play. In this honest and layered conversation, Grand Slam champion Murphy Jensen and tennis coach Justin Yeo sit down with Shaun to unpack the very different mental health realities between professionals and recreational players.

On one end, elite athletes like Naomi Osaka and Nick Kyrgios are publicly struggling with burnout, anxiety, and panic attacks. On the other, rec players talk about tennis as a mental escape — even as they're losing sleep over line calls and doubles partners.

So which is it? Murphy and Justin don’t offer easy answers — they offer real ones.

📌 Key Themes and Ideas We Explore

Pro Tennis: Fame, Pressure, and Isolation

Turning pro at 10 or 11 sounds insane — until you realize it’s happening all the time. Murphy shares how junior players are being scouted, moved across the world, and signed by agents before they even hit puberty. And when they don’t “make it,” the emotional fallout is brutal.

Recreational Tennis: Not Exactly Zen

Think tennis at the local club is drama-free? Think again. Murphy argues that the mental strain at the recreational level can actually be worse, because ego, identity, and community all get tangled into something as small as a Tuesday night lineup.

The Human Condition on Court

Whether you’re on center court at Wimbledon or a public park in Austin, losing still stings. Murphy talks about how defeat triggers real emotional reactions — not just frustration, but shame, anxiety, and even depression. From car ride silence to post-match reflection, tennis mirrors life.

Mental Health and Substance Use in Sport

Murphy opens up about his journey through addiction and recovery — and how WEconnect Health Management, the healthcare tech company he co-founded, helps others navigate similar challenges through digital tools, coaching, and community.

Why Tennis Can Still Heal

Despite the challenges, tennis remains a powerful outlet for millions — a space for release, growth, and connection. But it’s only as healthy as the mindset we bring to it.

🧠 Memorable Quotes & Concepts You’ll Hear

• “My ego has never been my amigo.”
• “You can be up 6–0, 5–0... and still lose.”
• “The ride home after a win is way different than after a loss.”
• “Treat triumph and disaster the same — if you can.”
• “You don’t need to reinvent the sport. You just need a safe place to land.”

👀 Who Should Listen?

• Recreational players trying to understand why a 3.5 match can mess with their head
• Coaches working with juniors or adults and seeing the emotional side of the game
• Tennis parents wondering what the long road to “pro” really looks like
• Anyone in recovery or working in wellness and looking for stories that resonate
• Players at any level who’ve ever had a rough car ride home after a loss

🎯 Why This Conversation Matters

Mental health isn’t just a pro-level issue — and it’s not just about anxiety or panic attacks. It’s about how we process pressure, failure, identity, and success. Whether you're chasing a title or just trying to win a Thursday league match, this episode will hit close to home.

Tennis can be healing. It can also be harmful. The difference is what kind of support systems we build around it.

🎧 Listen now to hear real talk from people who’ve lived it — and who are working to make tennis a better, healthier space for everyone who picks up a racket.

On this episode of 10 Minutes of Tennis, Shaun and Justin talk to Murphy Jensen about mental health.

For more 10 Minutes of Tennis episodes: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLKLIP3Zrp28TLg1nCs4E-2PzkRcjyePEM

YouTube Replay

Shaun Boyce USPTA: shaun@tennisforchildren.com

https://tennisforchildren.com/

Justin Yeo: https://www.instagram.com/yeocoach/

Bobby Schindler USPTA: schindlerb@comcast.net

https://windermerecommunity.net/

Geovanna Boyce: geovy@regeovinate.com

https://regeovinate.com/

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With that said, let's get started with 10 minutes of tennis.

Question because Shaun was bringing this up and it'd be good to get your opinion.

The problem at the moment is we're hearing a lot of people talking about mental health

at the highest level, right?

I mean, curious, Osaka, they're all sharing it.

One of my closest friends was John Roddick, who was very close to Marty Fish.

So I've heard all about Marty's background as well.

Marty's was to me a little different.

He had a real long background of it and needed to come out of the woodwork which he didn't

until really late and then he had a lot of issues mentally.

But there's that storyline right now in the professional level that everyone is struggling

mentally.

But on the other hand, on the social perspective and society or average player or amateur

player, there's all these mental benefits from playing tennis.

So there's this clouded gray cloud right now about mental health.

But the normal player, the social player that plays every week doesn't get the level of

mental health problems because you've just described it beautifully.

That since from a little age, all you've known is hitting tennis balls.

Most people have all these other things in their life and tennis is helping that stay on

track because it gives them a mental release.

Whereas for a tennis professional, they don't have anything else.

You're going to what you said, the pros are talking about their mental health and it's a job.

Like I said, you turn them pro.

At some players, turn pro are winning.

Wimbledon, Martina Hinges, who I worked with for 10 years, wins Wimbledon at 13.

Something else at 15, 8 grand, slams by 18.

You got kids.

Okay.

They're on the road 52 weeks a year.

Now I remember asking Martina.

She had no idea that she was on center court Wimbledon, right?

She knew she was at Wimbledon at center court but she didn't know the magnitude until she

was older.

Now a mad, no, she's a rare case.

Your general junior player makes a sacrifice in whether they know it or not turns pro at 10

or 11.

They move from whatever country to Florida for more opportunities.

They're in their academy at 10, 11 years old.

They've turned pro by, they've got an agent at 11 years old.

So my opinion, they're pros.

They don't even know it like Martina didn't.

They're 17, 18 and they've been sponsored, they've been paid, their family's gone to

the house, they're 17, they're on the road and they're not breaking the top 100 and they're

the next year of Povah.

They're supposed to be, you know, this agency made a bet on this person.

Well, back to what you said originally.

I would disagree with you that the recreational player doesn't have mental health issues

on the court.

When I go to a 40 or a 35, men's or ladies league, they're drinking after the match and sometimes

during the match, they're self-medicating.

The line calls are suspicious and why, why shouldn't matter.

It's probably more mentally damaging in the recreational level because why shouldn't

matter what level or where you're playing in the lineup if I'm a 35 player.

I'm not going to play with her.

She's in a singles player.

I'm a double star.

You are a beginner.

Anybody that goes tennis knows exactly that situation happens.

My ego has never been my amigo and I'm out here putting in the practice today two hours

grinding the old drills cross court two up two back playing.

It's bananas and it's so fun to be on for those that are not here.

I'm on a couple of rolling girls clay courts at my friend's house in Austin, Texas and I have

a love affair with the red clay and especially the rolling girls red clay.

It's time I have a moment out here 56 years old.

Anyway, it's called the human condition.

To lose a match, you're going to sense some form of depression.

It might not be chronic or acute, right?

But if you lost a match or a point and you lose when some points in a set or two sets or

lose some points, there is going to be you can see the body language.

Why do we talk about you don't have a positive out of the body language?

Well, just double fault it's 12 times in a row.

I was supposed to have a good body language.

And if you don't believe that there's mental health amongst all the humans, what does the

car ride feel like when you win versus how you lose?

It's a different vibe, man.

It's quiet after a loss.

You know what to say?

Give them a little space to de-stress or decompress.

But when we win, did you say it beforehand?

Did you see that drop shot?

Did you see that?

So, they're at Wimbledon.

If you've ever walked on center court, there's the Kipling speech and we treat those two

imposter's the same.

Try and defend the feet.

I want to be a hollow bone.

You know where I treat those, winning and losing the same.

And if I can come from a safe place of neutrality, safe and protected, where if I win today and

get this deal done in business or on the tennis court, it's the best thing that could have

happened and if this person says no to this venture or this opportunity that I'm proposing,

that's the best thing.

And I am able to live this life one.

Happy to happy.

Moment to moment.

Because I can't get to match point before I've played these 48-50 other points.

You know, I get it was so cool about tennis.

You should give me down 605-0 and win.

Yeah.

It was scary as you can be up 605-0, which I've done at the Orange Bowl back in the day

and loose.

That's a tough job home.

It was the 12th.

So we were dealing with a lot of different, you know.

So Sean tells me all about this.

We connect.

What's it all about?

We connect is a healthcare technology company.

It's a mobile application with support and services around and mental health coaching,

around mental health challenges and substance use disorder.

And you know, we just came out of January.

A lot of people were calling me and saying, I want to do dry January.

And well, you know, it's crazy.

Because that we're able to stick with it, are saying their work is improving, their tennis

game is improving.

And now they're at the end of February, now we're in March, I think, or end of February

today.

Yeah.

They're like, holy cow.

So whatever, there's the substance use disorder and, you know, I'm someone in long-term

recovery from these challenges.

After the French open and I had my first panic attack, actually, I...

I had been saying that, but the truth is, my first panic attack would happen again,

David Wheaton, when I was throwing rackets into the river over the fence and my dad carried

me off the court.

I had a meltdown and a blowout.

And yeah, I am really blessed with the opportunity.

I get emotional to be of service to the tennis world and the tennis community.

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