Joss Rae

Jaffa · Challenger level

Joss Rae

Michael D · All-time great

Well it seemed she was heading that way, but in the larger scheme of things really surprising since she had plenty of mileage left as a good women's doubles player. This especially considering she won the Vancouver 100k doubles final in the last tournament she played...

the addict · Tennis legend

A little more information from wta insider

twitter.com/WTA_insider/status/941359487083937792

and the BBC

www.bbc.co.uk/sport/tennis/42350356

skibbarriz · Strong Club Player

What, after one of her best years? After their split, both her and Anna have been showing lots of promise.

Age 26 in doubles, you've barely started. Ask a certain Mr.Nestor.

indiana · Tennis legend

On the face of it a very strange one.

I was wondering if Joss had ongoing physical issues as she has had in the past and this had played a large part.

But I have seen no mention of anything like that and she says in the BBC link "... I think most professional athletes have it in the back of the mind: 'Is this lifestyle what I want?' "

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

She's been posting tweets on and off for the last 12 months, taking part in various LTA training days for kids, and similar things. And looking very happy. Sounds like a good move to me.

wolf · Tennis legend

More info here - seems injuries played a big part and just a desire to not keep her career going for too long www.nottinghampost.com/sport/the-biggest-decision-life-says-925509

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

And very good article in the Telegraph about life on the tennis tour, being gay, her injury, plans for the future etc. etc.

www.telegraph.co.uk/tennis/2017/12/16/joss-rae-billie-jean-king-made-openly-gay-tennis-player-much/

Michael D · All-time great

Coup Droit wrote:
And very good article in the Telegraph about life on the tennis tour, being gay, her injury, plans for the future etc. etc.

www.telegraph.co.uk/tennis/2017/12/16/joss-rae-billie-jean-king-made-openly-gay-tennis-player-much/

Yes, this is a brilliant article, gives much more insight into Joss, her life on and off court, and why she actually retired. I hadn't realised that she had had such a bad foot injury earlier, which was why she only played doubles now. I thought this comment was particular striking:

'If I ever see anyone in the morning I say "Hi, morning", but I only get a hello back 50 per cent of the time, if that. From what I've seen of combined tournaments, it's worse on the women's tour than the men's - something to do with being competitors, trying to beat each other out of money and points. "I've been on the tour for four years, and the only friends I have made are the British players and one Australian, Jess Moore"'.

It was with Jess that she won the final tournament she played. This article also meshes well with the interview with Emily posted in the Navi Mumbai thread yesterday, when she said she mostly travels alone. But Emily is clearly better at being able to live with her own company, and at making friends too, though guess she has travelled long enough to be able to make them widely.

Wishing Joss well with her future coaching and career. I note she is also getting married this coming year.

skibbarriz · Strong Club Player

Take away from the Telegraph article

1. Injury, restricted movement = plumping for doubles
2. Womens tennis tour percieved as less friendly than the mens by female players that are on it
3. She is quitting because she just doesn't like it on tour any more. ( Iwonder if Anna Smith was the one who decided to break the partnership and now the tour is simp0ly no fun for Joss)

I'm I not one that subscribes to the players twitters and only learned she was gay when reading one of these retirement article a couple days. Was her sexuality known to you guys and others. It's just that you can't describe yourself as an 'openly gay' tennis player if generally speaking, no one knew.

Sad she isn't enjoying the tour any more. Loss for British tennis and those who follow it. All the best to her.

Oakland2002 · All-time great

A great article which gives pretty clear insight into why Joss is retiring. I can only imagine the frustration that goes with being restricted as a professional athlete by injury and to a certain extent this decision smacks of pragmatism. It is probably much easier to cope with the day to day indifference of the tour if you are in prime condition to compete and win.

The tour is essentially a bunch of athletes circulating the world in their own competitive bubbles trying to destroy each other on court, if you dont win you dont get paid much, there is relatively little reward for being collaborative indeed unlike in team sport for the most part its counter productive. To enjoy that you have to be fit or psychologically phenomenally tough.

Twenty six I also think is an age where you start thinking about the longer term, how you shape a way of life to that is going to sustain you professionally and emotionally. It is interesting that Evo and Marcus are both mentioned, although neither have retired their lives both changed significantly over the last 2 years or so. Marcus had a bit of tennis success but also focused on establishing a young family, Evo sorted his tennis focus out before another little recreational slip. As they say You dont know what youve got till its gawn hopefully like Arnie, he will be back.

It sounds like Joss is happy with her decision and I wish her well for the future. It is also refreshing that increasingly the stigma around being open about ones sexuality if you are anything other than heterosexual is being slowly eroded. Joss is right in that by being open (that does not necessarily have to be loudly so) about the experiences she has had as a gay woman and more importantly being a positive role model makes it easier for and has undoubtedly helped others. Billy Jean King is a fantastic trail blazer for equality but it is equally important that there are more accessible day to day role models living a life that anyone can relate to.

indiana · Tennis legend

All the very best to Joss for the future.

For whatever it matters, no I also didn't previously know she was gay, but it does certainly appear she was open about it and from the article clearly plenty social media trolls knew.

If she is happy that's all that matters and I think it is a great indication of how things have moved on in tennis, wider sport and society ( if not these sad keyboard trolls ) that it has so not been an issue ( although still a pretty long way to go in say men's football ).

That I don't follow social media or whatever enough to have previously known and that it has been such a non issue in the more general tennis press and forums is actually great. It is great that I have never seen her defined, or even referred to, as a gay tennis player, unlike how she recognises players in the past have been and much more than that.

As Oakland says, of course she doesn't have to be loudly so. Or wear a badge. It is just an unimportant matter ( to anyone else ) other than these around her in say family and profession and perhaps others who will be encouraged that her sexuality has been such a non issue ( the very fact that she was openly so yet some of us only knew her as a tennis player ). All quite heartening really and just emphasises how things have changed,

Re the women's tour in general being less friendly than the men's I have always had that impression. Men are competitive sports animals but can better separate the sport, the match, from off court. Many women clearly can't and seem to treat tennis opponents as enemies on and off court. I guess we're wired differently! Clearly there are many exceptions in both sexes.

flamingowings · All-time great

Joss got married recently: www.instagram.com/p/B2n74M6Ak7L/