On the day after his 25th birthday in April of this year, Mackenzie “Mackie” McDonald, one of the top young Americans in the men’s pro game, took to Twitter to post a thought that was, at once, equally ironic and accurate: “This year’s been a helluva decade.”
It’s easy to understand the reason in that reflection when you take a look at McDonald’s journey through the last 12 months. In 2019, the Northern California native, a former NCAA champion in both singles and doubles while at UCLA, was starting to make a significant mark in the pro game, as well. In February, he took down former world No. 3 Juan Martin del Potro to reach his first ATP Tour semifinal in Delray Beach, Fla. By late April of last year, the rapidly rising McDonald had achieved a career-high ranking of No. 57, and was eager to test his maturing mettle in the majors, having posted his best-ever Slam showing in 2018 with a run to Wimbledon’s fourth round.
But before he could ever get back on the grass, McDonald found himself on the sidelines, suffering a torn proximal hamstring tendon during a doubles match at Roland Garros. In June, he underwent surgery to repair the injury, forcing him to miss the remainder of the 2019 season. Thanks to a lot of hard work and dedication, McDonald made his way back to the tour early this year. But just as he was getting things going again, everything else came to a halt.
USOpen.org recently caught up with McDonald to talk about his comeback from injury, his routine during these decidedly un-routine times, and his goals for his game once play again resumes.
Q: This whole shutdown has to be especially agonizing for you, having gone through so much last year with the injury and just starting to get back into the game early in the year. Talk about the impact and what you’re doing with even more unwanted off-time now.
Mackie McDonald: Yeah, I mean I definitely was coming back pretty hungry after last year missing a lot of the season. At the start of the whole situation, it was kind of difficult for me just not knowing how hard I should be training and what I should be doing, so I kind of took it easy once I got back here to Lake Nona (Fla). Since then I have picked it up again, gotten into some routines in terms of training and hitting. I actually feel pretty lucky that I’ve been able to train inside a home garage, and there are a couple of courts around Lake Nona that we’ve been going to so that we can hit. We’re still following all the rules, but we’re getting our hits in. I’ve definitely got more time on my hands now than normal, obviously, but I’ve been keeping busy with some other stuff, and I’ve had my girlfriend with me, too, so it’s been nice.
Q: You mention working out in the garage—what are you doing there?
MM: Lifting. We’ve got a pretty good set-up, so I can do all my lifts, pretty much maintaining all the things that I normally do, except without a coach. And I’m actually doing a lot of my cardio work, too, so I’ve just been trying to be regimented in what I’m doing.
Q: Talk a bit about the injury and coming back from it. What kind of stuff are you focused on? For somebody like yourself, who’s so quick and who covers the court so well, a hamstring injury has got to be a particularly tough one.
MM: Yeah, for sure. Coming back, you realize just how serious the injury was, and the surgery was serious, too, but at the same time, I’ve healed really well, and I feel like I’m putting in all the work I need to, to get back. I think this time has actually helped me in terms of having more time to get used to full-out running like I normally do. I really don’t feel any different, so that’s a positive.
I’m a very competitive person, I like that match mentality and playing and competing, so I’m definitely missing that right now, and I missed that so much last year. It was tough, watching everyone else play and you still feel motivated and you’re chasing that goal to come back. I was ready and eager to get back as soon as I could while still being smart about it, and then all this happens. So now, it’s just like everyone is sort of in the same boat.
Q: You did get in a handful of events at the start of this year; how’d you feel playing those?
MM: Physically, I felt great. I went five sets in Australia (McDonald lost a hard-fought 6-3, 6-4, 1-6, 2-6, 3-6 first-round matchup against Great Britain’s Daniel Evans). It was a tough loss, but physically I felt great. And you know, I was happy just to be back playing at that time because originally they had said that I wouldn’t be able to come back until March (of 2020), which, with the tour shutting down, would have meant that I wouldn’t have played any tournaments so far this year.
But with how much I’d progressed and how hard I’d been working, I felt like I was able to come back at the start of the year. I haven’t really done that great in terms of match play, but I feel like physically, there’ve been a lot of positives.
Q: Last year you had developed some momentum, picked up some good wins and achieved a career-high ranking. Do you feel like once things get back on track that you can get back to where you left off?
MM: Yeah, for sure. It’s a big fight to get up in the rankings like that, but now knowing that I’ve been there before, I’ve no doubt that I can get back up there again—and further. I mean, obviously, I’m going to have to climb those rankings again, which is certainly one of the toughest things to do in this sport, but I’ve done it before, and I don’t feel any physical setbacks anymore, so I don’t think that now there’s anything to hold me back from getting back up there.
Q: So when you’re not working out or working on your game, what are you doing with your time? What’s the binge-watching go-to?
MM: Well, I’ve watched a lot of movies with my girlfriend; we watched “Tiger King.” And we’ve got her dog with us now, so we’ve been taking care of the dog. And I’ve been cooking a lot more. Normally, I go out to eat so much, but now I’m actually enjoying cooking. We also moved earlier this year (to Lake Nona, Fla.), so we’ve been fixing up our new place. So there’s plenty to do there to keep us busy.
Q: Do you talk much to other guys on the tour? Do you think they’re generally more optimistic or pessimistic about returning any time soon?
MM: I think we’re all just doing our best to keep up with what the ATP has been saying, and I’m really just doing my best to stay patient. I’m staying in close contact with my agent and trying to stay up on the news, but other than that, it’s really hard to say when we’re going to get back or what type of environment it’s going to be in terms of fans or travel or any of that.
Q: What are your thoughts on playing without any fans in the stands? I know, particularly in tennis, players love to feed off the energy of the fans.
MM: That’s true, but at the same time, you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do. I wouldn’t be opposed to it (playing without fans in the stands). Just getting out there and playing some tennis would be nice, so really, whatever it takes to do that, I’m good with. I mean health and safety, obviously, is No. 1, so whatever we have to do, we’ll do. I think most of the guys would feel that way.
Q: So between being sidelined last year and now all this stuff this year, what is it that you miss the most about being out there and playing?
MM: I’d say just the competition. You know, when you’re playing tennis like this, at a high level, for me, I love the wins—I just thrive off those. I know that I take the losses hard at times. I just love to compete. Obviously, the emotions and the stress, they’re a lot less when you’re just hanging out and doing other things, but tennis really brings out the best in me—and it always has. It allows me to feel something that you can’t really compare to anything else. The thrill of the competition, putting your heart and soul out there, traveling the world and playing a match with something on the line…. It’s just a special feeling.
Q: Last year, during you injury time off, I know you did some work in front of the camera at the US Open on “US Open Now.” Did you enjoy that experience?
MM: Yeah, for sure. I really enjoyed the opportunity, and I thought it was pretty cool, actually, to see tennis from the other side. Honestly, it’s pretty amazing when you see how much goes into the tournament. It was cool for me to be part of the US Open in a small way, but it definitely felt different, and I wished that I could have been there playing at the same time.
Q: I’ve got to ask you about your birthday tweet, “This year’s been a helluva decade.” What was your thinking on that one?
MM: Yeah, it’s just been a long year; it’s just felt like a really long time. It’s really remarkable how one person or one thing can really stop the world at once. I feel like the time has moved slowly and the days just linger together. It’s been a pretty long year.
Q: So what’s the overriding goal now for you once things get back to some sense of normal?
MM: I just want to be ready when we’re ready to start. Obviously, everyone is going to be away from matches for a while, but I want to make sure I’m ready to play when they tell us we can. I feel like if I take care of my body, my mind and my game, the rest of it will take care of itself. So I’m going to take care of what’s controllable and just make sure I’m ready to go.
