“It’s … just something I don’t want to have to keep to myself” – Brooksby on living with autism spectrum disorder

American tennis player Jenson Brooksby, who returns to the tour at the start of the new season after two years on the sidelines, has revealed that he was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder as a young child and has been managing the condition since.

Brooksby, who peaked at No 33 in the rankings in June 2022, will return to the tour in January after missing the last two season due to injuries and then a ban arising out of missing three doping tests.

It was during his time off that Brooksby decided that he wanted to let the world know about his condition.

“It’s … just something I don’t want to have to keep to myself,” Brooksby said in an interview to The Associated Press.

“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 (something) to just go blurting out as part of a conversation, you know?”, the American said “But I’ve always thought about it and … I, eventually, just wanted to talk about it. I just want people to know me for who I am fully, and that’s just another part of me. I’ve had a lot of time out of playing and a lot of thinking I’ve had to do.”

The 24-year-old American will play the Canberra ATP Challenger before heading to Melbourne for the Australian Open.

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