I would like to thank Carol Taylor. Without her, this book would most likely be a jumbled mess of my never-ending thoughts and lack of structure. She put up with my busy schedule and even my kids taking me away from some of our talks. Thank you for helping me put my thoughts on paper. I am extremely pleased with how we worked together, and if this turns out well I know a lot of it is because of you.
I need to thank Matt Harper and Tracy Sherrod of HarperCollins and Lisa Queen of WME-IMG. They had the idea for this book before I even realized that I wanted to write it. I am so glad they encouraged me to put down my thoughts in this form.
The athletes who took the time to speak with me on the record about activism were enlightening. I know how valuable time is to these busy athletes, so I want to thank Martina Navratilova, Billie Jean King, Meb Keflezighi, Chris Kluwe, and Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi for being such willing participants in this still-evolving experience.
Carlos Fleming has been integral in this process and my entire career. His official title is my agent, but that doesn’t begin to describe his importance and value to me. I respect him for how well he has done his job as my agent, but I love him so much more as a friend. That will always be the most important part of our relationship. I cannot stress how much more that means to me than any deal he has ever done for me. I know they all took a lot of hard work on his part, but to me, what was more important is that he put that hard work in because he cared about me as more than a client. Thank you for that work and all the sacrifices, Carlos.
My parents shaped me to be the person I am today. So I have to thank them for making this seem like a formality to talk about activism and how people in athletics can make the world a better place. My mother and father stressed education first, and then tennis, which was the number one hobby in our house. There was plenty of talk about all sports, and a constant theme in our household was giving back. Because of the way I grew up, this all seemed exceedingly normal to me. I did not know there would be any other option once I had success on tour except to help others with the resources I gained from each match I won. So I want to thank them for instilling that mind-set in me from a very young age.
Last, but certainly not least, and certainly most important is my wife. There are only so many hours in the day, and I wish I could spend them all with my amazing family. I appreciate the patience my wife has with me. The research for this book took me away from my family at times, and I felt nothing but support from her. She is the best mom our two daughters could ever dream of having, and that makes it easier for me to take time away for a project like this that I find to be important. I could never think about taking any time away from them if this wasn’t the case, so without her, this book never would have even been an option for me. Thank you, Emily.