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Biofile: Noah Rubin Interview

24 Comments · Posted by Scoop Malinowski in Bios

 
 
By Scoop Malinowski
 
Status:  ATP  168.
 
DOB:   February 21, 1996 In: Long Island, NY
 
HT: 5-9   Wt:  155
 
First Tennis Memory: My parents hung a ball from a string off our ceiling and I was actually in a diaper. And maybe I just have a memory because I see the picture so often. I don’t know if I actually remember it but that’s my first memory.
 
Tennis Inspirations:  I would say my father is definitely one. Tough not to say James Blake and obviously Federer. Federer is Federer [smiles].
 
Last Book Read:  It’s called ‘Sum.’ It’s about neuroscience and the after-life.
 
Current Car:  Chevy Malibu (gray).
 
First Famous Tennis Player You Met Or Encountered:  Ivo Karlovic. US Open. Picture. Somehow my father fit myself, who was even smaller than I am today, and Ivo Karlovic in the same picture [chuckles].
 
Greatest Career Moment:  So far, either beating John Isner or playing against Federer at Australian Open.
 
Most Painful Moment:  Wasn’t easy losing NCAA finals a set and 5-3 serving for it. At Baylor University, finals of NCAA singles individual tournament.
 
Favorite Tournaments:  Australian Open and Indian Wells.
 
Closest Tennis Friends:  Bjorn Fratangelo, Tennys Sandgren, Mitchell Krueger, Bradley Klahn, all those guys.
 
Funniest Players Encountered:  Nobody is that funny out here. I’m the funniest guy [laughs].
 
Fiercest Competitors Encountered:  Oh God, probably Tennys Sandgren. Any of those dirtballers I played out here who are just eating the clay.
 
Favorite Sports Outside Tennis:  To play – soccer. To watch – hockey and Formula 1.
 
Three Athletes You Like To Watch & Follow:  New York Islanders (hockey) team, as a whole. Lewis Hamilton in Formula 1. And…that’s about it.
 
Why Do You Love Playing Tennis:  I love running down balls and I love the competition.
 
Funny Tennis Memory: I try to laugh every day but…can’t think of one off the top of my head. I don’t have one. I’m really sorry [smiles].
 
Strangest Match:  Oh gosh, I actually remember one of my first international matches, when I was like eleven. And we had to stop playing because there was too many bugs flying around. In Montreal, Canada. (What kind of bugs?) These absolute monster mosquitoes. We literally couldn’t even see our hands in front of us.
 
Embarrassing Tennis Memory: Tough to say. Either John Isner match when I broke my shoe. And happened to have another shoe in my locker and I didn’t even know if I had one. Luckily I did.
 
Favorite Ice Cream Flavor:  Ben & Jerry Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough.
 
Which Match(es) Did You Feel At Your Best:  I don’t even know. I’m not one of those players who zones out. I grind out every ball, so.”
 
People Qualities Most Admired:  We were just talking about this. Awareness is one, other people and surroundings. Sarcastic and light and can take a joke. I think that’s a big deal.
 
Scoop Malinowski’s latest double book Facing Serena Williams/Facing Steffi Graf is available at www.lulu.com for $9.99. He also authored Facing Federer, Facing Nadal, Facing McEnroe, Facing Sampras, Facing Hewitt and Facing Marat Safin.
 
 
 

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24 comments

  • Hartt · May 14, 2019 at 10:15 am

    I enjoyed his comment about his dad managing to fit both him and Karlovic in the same photo. 🙂

  • Scoop Malinowski · May 14, 2019 at 10:25 am

    Hartt, do you believe that is possible? I don’t believe it is possible 🙂 I like Rubin a lot. I like his example and how he battles and he’s a really good guy to interview. Just a good all around guy who somehow finds the time outside of playing tennis to create such a fantastic innovation as Behind The Racquet.

  • Hartt · May 14, 2019 at 10:54 am

    Scoop, I am certain Noah is a truthful young man!

    I think Behind the Racquet is terrific, and have read many of the entries. It helps us understand the players and the challenges they face.

  • Dan Markowitz · May 14, 2019 at 12:57 pm

    How do you find Noah’s Behind the Racquet posts? His favorite sports are hockey, soccer and Formula 1? I’d have to say along with lacrosse and golf, those are least favorite sports.

    His father was his tennis inspiration? Did I miss something, was Rubin’s father a good player?

  • Scoop Malinowski · May 14, 2019 at 2:30 pm

    Dan, sign up for Instagram and find Behind The Racquet. Also he has a facebook page for it. Did you ever hear Muhammad Ali’s idea to make golf more interesting and exciting? He said the group on each hole should have a race to see who holes the ball first, so running on the course is required and the winner of the hole gets to deduct a shot off his score. He called it “Ali Golf.” 🙂

  • Hartt · May 14, 2019 at 8:18 pm

    10sballs frequently reprints the Behind the Racquet posts. Here is Noah’s.
    http://www.tennis10sballs.com/2019/05/13/noah-rubins-behind-the-racquet-%e2%80%a2-with-%e2%80%a2-noah-rubin-tennis-10sballs/

  • Scoop Malinowski · May 14, 2019 at 8:28 pm

    Read Rubin’s BTR earlier today, very good one. It’s a special thing he’s created, like I said before it’s the best innovation for tennis since Roger Federer turned pro. Just hope the players don’t change their candid sincerity in doing them and the tone of the BTRs becomes stale. Rubin will have to evolve it and keep it fresh because nothing stays the same. I like Rubin’s creative energy and surely he will sense the players and go with the flow.

  • Hartt · May 14, 2019 at 8:31 pm

    I just checked Noah Rubin’s Instagram, and there are nearly 40 Behind the Racquet posts now. Many of the stories are very moving.

  • catherine · May 15, 2019 at 2:23 am

    Behind the Racquet is an innovative idea and Rubin’s getting a good response but unfortunately you won’t get any of the major players telling their stories. You can bet there are some 🙂

  • Scoop Malinowski · May 15, 2019 at 4:06 am

    Catherine, tennis is not only about the major players. We know their stories anyway. It some of the BTR subjects will become future major players.

  • Hartt · May 15, 2019 at 6:18 am

    Bianca did a BTR post, and she may become a star. But, as Scoop said, it is interesting to hear from players who don’t get the attention the stars do.

    So far the BTR stories I’ve read have talked about tough times and overcoming them. I would also like to read about joyful experiences.

  • catherine · May 15, 2019 at 6:40 am

    Scoop – we know some of their stories, the major players, but only what they want us to know. Beyond that, once you become famous, the doors slam shut. Sometimes for very good reasons.

    But as I said, BTR is a good idea and I’m sure Noah will get lots of followers and players participating.

  • catherine · May 15, 2019 at 6:48 am

    Hartt – why no stories about joyful experiences ?

    See Anna Karenina, opening sentence.

  • Hartt · May 15, 2019 at 8:20 am

    That is a great opening line. But I do think there are interesting joyful experiences. I will never know through personal experience what it is like to reach a big goal in tennis, so have to experience it second hand through what the players say.

  • catherine · May 15, 2019 at 9:05 am

    Billie King King used to say that winning Wimbledon was this fleeting moment of joy and then it was gone and she realised she’d have to start all over again. That’s what kept her going.

  • catherine · May 15, 2019 at 9:07 am

    Billie Jean King – can’t type today 🙂

  • Scoop Malinowski · May 15, 2019 at 9:42 am

    Agree Hartt, there are some very interesting evolution options for BTR.

  • Scoop Malinowski · May 15, 2019 at 9:50 am

    Catherine, well for sure some of the big star players have skeleton in their closets and only few people know about it. I know some interesting junior stories about big star players that would never be talked about in the mainstream media. A lot of images are sugarcoated but “tennis is a vicious sport” underneath all the glamour and stardom and perfect interviews with softball lob questions.

  • Scoop Malinowski · May 15, 2019 at 9:55 am

    Abeautiful story Hartt is the Barbora Krejcikoga story about her meeting Jana Novotna, a meeting she ambitiously set up by her own initiative. Novotna liked Krejcikova’s get get em-ness and they were together for three years, the most important years of her career. She talks about it in her Biofile. There are lots of stories like this.

  • catherine · May 15, 2019 at 11:56 am

    Scoop – in the late 70s I wandered around the women’s circuit in the US for several months, quite unsupervised and working on a project (which never came to fruition), no one ever asked me what I was doing or whether I was writing stories etc. I was so young I kind of took it all for granted. Did one or two interesting interviews but I never published them. Not good journalism but probably better for keeping my job. Imagine doing that now 🙂

  • Scoop Malinowski · May 15, 2019 at 12:33 pm

    Catherine you can publish those old interviews here if you’re interested 🙂 Might be a time capsule read. Yes we have heard stories of hard core drugs being too readily available to players, no more details on that. I love the Salvador Dali quote: “I don’t do drugs, I am drugs.” I tell that to everyone who has a drug or alcohol issue. Hope it helps.

  • Hartt · May 15, 2019 at 12:57 pm

    Scoop, I had read the Biofile, and loved the story about her working with Novotna. Those are the kind of stories I mean when I say joyful, although that story is touched with sadness as well.

    Catherine, that is a great quote from Billie Jean King.

    An old story, but one I enjoyed, is Darren Cahill’s description of a 12-year-old Lleyton Hewitt arriving on his doorstep, armed with racquets, wanting Darren to coach him. As we know, the youngster was successful in his quest.

  • Scoop Malinowski · May 15, 2019 at 1:06 pm

    Hartt, I never heard of that story before or the whole story of the young Hewitt. I do remember hearing Cahill say Hewitt came to his house one time and just walked through the house straight to the tennis court in the back and was ready to play. Not sure if it was part of that story.

  • Hartt · May 15, 2019 at 4:52 pm

    The other thing I remember about that story is Cahill said Hewitt had a LOT of racquets with him. Guess the kid was serious!

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