Caty McNally gears up for Round of 64 match on Monday against Sasnovich
Welcome to Caty McNally's backyard, as she put it in a press conference on Saturday afternoon.
McNally, who was born and raised in Cincinnati and is an alumna of Madeira High School, is one of three local products that are gearing up to make an appearance in the annual Western & Southern Open, hosted at Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason, Ohio.
The pressure is on, with an estimate of 40 to 50 of McNally's friends and family members here in the stands supporting her through every swing. But the 20-year-old is not nearly as stressed as the average person would be. In fact, she feels she's on her A-game, the athlete's trifecta of healthy, strong and fit, as she gears up for Monday's WTA Round of 64 match against 28-year-old Aliaksandra Sasnovich. Of course, the lengthy span of her support system lifts that weight tremendously as she takes it day by day.
McNally grew up attending the Western & Southern Open. She said she would try so hard to get autographs from the big names in tennis at the time, the same ones that have shaped her, inspired her and motivated her early on and throughout her athletic career.
Tennis Western & Southern tennis: watch for Wolf sightings in Mason
One of those people being 23-time Major champion Serena Williams, who announced her pending retirement following the U.S. Open at the end of the month.
"I think she's been a huge impact on the sport," McNally said. "I was once a little girl watching Serena on the TV and I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to play her at the U.S. Open a couple years ago. ... Tennis is a huge part of her life, but I think it's important now that she's moving on ... and she's going to spend that time with her (growing) family and in other (facets of life)."
Mental health is just as big a part of sports as physical health. McNally has had to learn how to keep her emotions off the court, so that she can be as clear and level-headed as possible for herself and her opponent. She's had her moments, as every one has, but despite the circumstances, she's blossomed from it.
Now, after a match, unlike most other sports where the team gets together to watch film and discuss, McNally relishes in her alone time, or cool down time as she called it. Whether that's stretching or riding the bike to keep her heart rate up, she takes what's needed to gather her thoughts, to get the swirling tornado of emotions out of her rational thinking, and recognize that it can only go up when you're feeling down.
After she decompresses is when she allows herself to chat with others, to listen to their critiques, to listen to their support, and take it however she pleases, whether to head or to heart or to both. It helps that her mother, Lynn Nabors-McNally, is one of her two coaches, alongside Kevin O'Neill.
The biggest thing she appreciates about this event is that, when she's here, she's staying in her parent's house and relishing the time she can spend with her family dogs. Who doesn't love a good snuggle with a pup after a long day at work?
McNally, ranked No. 170, is slated to play her first match of the tournament on Monday in the WTA Round of 64 against Sasnovich, ranked No. 36. Time of play is still to be announced and this will be the first time the two women are meeting in their professional careers.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Caty McNally gears up for Round of 64 match on Monday, Aug. 15
