Midway through the 2007 season, my doubles partner Daniel Nestor dropped me for somebody else. It was one of those things where not only were we a great team and we had a great partnership, but we also had a great friendship that I thought was pretty special. We had committed to play together for the entire year. He had talked about us finishing our career together because we were both winding down to the end. We were still doing very well. The worst part for me, though, was he went out and found a new partner without ever letting me know. I think I’ve gotten a little bit wiser with age. Maybe if it had happened earlier in my career, I might not have handled it as well. But it’s one of those things in life. You really learn that no matter how much you have things figured out, life sometimes throws you a curveball. I didn’t see that coming, but at the end of the day, it’s not a huge thing. Nobody died. It’s just sports. I’m also a believer that things always happen for a reason. I thought Daniel and I had something great going. We had a chance to continue a great legacy that we had established. But as one door closes, another one opens.

From Excellence: The Heart and Soul in Sports © 2009 by Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Published by Regal Books. Used by permission. All rights reserved. To purchase the book, click here.