Jenson Brooksby on living with autism: It’s just something I don’t want to have to keep to myself

Jenson Brooksby tugged at the right shoulder of his red T-shirt and fiddled with some strands of his dirty blond hair as he spoke to The Associated Press about what he’d like the world — the tennis world, yes, but also everyone else — to know about him. READ | Rafael Nadal: Thought about taking a mental health break from tennis a few years ago “It’s obviously a personal topic that, even with people you may feel very comfortable with — in my mind, at least for a long time — it wasn’t to just go blurting out as part of a conversation, you know?” said Brooksby, 24, a native Californian who said he was nonverbal until the age of 4. Brooksby called the autism a “big strength” in “pressure moments” on court, allowing him to “focus on two or three specific details really well for a long period of time.” He also mentioned “something that makes a little tougher”: He will have outbursts if he’s losing or if he is upset about a certain shot or aspect of his technique, a tendency his athletic trainer, Paul Kinney, keeps an eye out for, along with signs of discomfort such as reaching for his clothing or hair or leaning forward with hands on knees. behind his peer age group.” As part of the appeal, Wagner said, she explained how autism affects Brooksby’s decision-making as an adult and leads to what she termed “a lack of executive functioning,” meaning he has trouble understanding that, “If I do this, that might be the outcome; if I don’t do this, then might happen.” Brooksby plans to return on the lower-level Challenger Tour in Canberra, Australia, next month, before heading to the Australian Open, which begins Jan. 12. “He only has one gear when he’s competing at anything and that’s full-on mode.” “I just want people to know me for who I am fully, and that’s just another part of me,” Brooksby said.