Page 79 of Risky Match
“Understood. And as for us...” I pause. “Last night, you called me out for being a selfish prick. I can’t say you were wrong. I’ve been difficult at best, and yesterday the way I treated you was unforgivable. I don’t want to make excuses, but there are things I should have shared with you sooner. If you’re willing to listen, I’d like to remedy that now.”
Bri’s shoulders relax slightly, but she also frowns. “This sounds serious. What didn’t you tell me?”
“I’ve been going through a very stressful time. It started after Wimbledon two years ago. You know what happened there.”
Bri nods. “Yes, go on.”
“Soon after that, my manager, Noah, made some unexplainable business decisions that resulted in me losing quite a bit of money. I told you about the ugly sweatshirts, but that wasn’t his only misstep. He also signed me up with a couple of new sponsors without discussing it with me. I threatened to fire him, but he assured me it wouldn’t happen again and argued the new sponsorships were great deals for me. He begged for a second chance, which I granted out of respect for our long-time working relationship. I’ve been trying to monitor my business dealings closely since then, but I’m always on edge.”
“I can see how that would be stressful. How are your finances now, if you don’t mind me asking? All you said before was that you aren’t broke.”
“Stable. And my portfolio is growing. But I’ll never have the same level of trust in Noah. That’s the reason I plan to make a change.”
“I don’t blame you.”
“Thanks for understanding. There’s more though. Several months ago, mysterious emails began showing up in my inbox. They revealed various ...umm ...let’s call themindiscretionsby my prior coach. At first, I didn’t believe the accusations. I assumed someone was either trying to disrupt my training or wanted to steal my coach.”
“That’s horrible,” she says, her eyes wide with worried surprise.
I was mortified at the time because he put my career at risk. Remembering the situation still makes me shudder.
“It was, and it got worse. Each subsequent email came with more direct proof.”
“What exactly were his indiscretions?”
“I guess there’s no harm telling you. He was running a side business selling marijuana. Not only did he put himself at risk of arrest, but the authorities could also have thought I was involved. Even worse, I found out that he’d been using it himself. Not that I care what he personally does, but he put me at risk of testing positive if I’d accidentally consumed one of his food products or inhaled vapors. Others have been suspended from tennis for years after failing drug tests.”
“Why in the world would a pro tennis coach do something that carried so much risk?” she asks, placing her hand over mine.
“I gather he started using it to manage pain from an old shoulder injury, and then he grew it into a business. Selling to others like himself made it profitable.”
Her eyes narrow. “But how did he transport it across borders and through all the airport security inspections?”
“He always insisted on bringing along his favorite blend of coffee. It was the only kind he would drink. Apparently, he hid the marijuana in the coffee.”
“Clever. I guess the coffee tricked the drug-sniffing dogs. You’re lucky that someone alerted you about the problem. What did you do about it?”
“I told Noah, and we confronted him. He admitted that it was all true. I fired him on the spot.”
I don’t share that at the time, I couldn’t believe my coach had betrayed me so profoundly. Now, it’s hard to trust anyone who works for me, except Doc. At least she took an oath to do right by her patients.
Bri’s eyes gleam with approval as she nods. “I would have done the same. Is that when you hired Josh?”
“It is. I hired him in December so I’d have a coach at the Australian Open in January. Changing coaches at the beginning of the season wasn’t easy, but I had no choice.”
“You didn’t. Did you ever learn who sent you the emails? I’m guessing you’d like to thank them.”
I throw my hands up in frustration. “No, I still don’t know who it was, and I’m not sure they have my best interests at heart. You see the emails didn’t stop when I fired my old coach.”
“That’s strange. What happened next?”
“During an interview, I was asked if it was a relief to have a good team back in place. I said it was. Then the interviewer commented that my team must be happy to know they have job security. I responded with an off-the-cuff remark.”
“What did you say?”
“I said that I’ve learned we’re all replaceable and circumstances can change without notice. I didn’t mean for my comment to cause waves, but it triggered another anonymous email.”
She squints and wrinkles her nose, asking, “Really? That’s odd. What did it say?”
