Bethanie Mattek-Sands | About

This is the section where I get to talk all about me, myself, and l—Bethanie Mattek-Sands—and absolutely everything that’s happened to me… my whole….entire life. Before you scroll down to see how long this bio really is, I’d like to mention that most of the people close to me think I’m pretty entertaining. Or (at the very least) will start laughing once I start laughing. Yes, my sweet little giggle is both infectious and used as a locator beacon throughout tournament venues. That being said, let’s rewind and start with little Bethanie.

I was born on a cold, blustery spring day in Rochester, Minnesota on the 23rd of March in 1985. Really all you need to remember about that is a.) I like presents on my birthday, b.) I’ll have to explain why I’m a Green Bay Packer fan and, c.) I am (very accurately) an Aries. Which, let’s be honest, is the best sign of the whole calendar.

My Dad, Tim, put a racquet in my hand when I was five years old and, in his words, I “nearly knocked him over” with my first few shots.

Growing up, I played pretty much any sport I could—that included everything from lawn croquet and Kaboosh (an extremely competitive version of Don’t Let the Balloon Hit the Ground) to basketball and badminton.

I’ve always had a competitive streak, too. I have a vivid memory of getting pissed at school because I got picked 2nd for the soccer team at recess. The boys ended up apologizing to me after I threw a fit and scored a hat trick. Balance restored.

I’m pretty sure my Dad had the best kept secret to my quick hands and reflex volleys. All those hours spent playing Velcro Ball in the driveway definitely sharpened my skills at the net. Rocky helped me with some of those skills early on too. Rocky was our golden retriever that would patiently wait for me to sail a tennis ball over the roof when I would be hitting ground strokes against the garage door. Now before you start thinking my life revolved around sports exclusively, I will mention I did play piano… not willingly, but I stuck with it for a few years. Ok, ok. The only reason I continued playing was because I was ahead of my sister in the lesson books (and therefore “better” then her). Once I realized she was going to take her musical aspirations to the next level, I told myself I could let her have this one thing.

So let me tell you about my little sister, Alison, (I call her Tsiony). Personality-wise, she is the complete opposite of me and is the smartest person I know.

I remember playing the card game Memory as kids; and, after beating me easily a few times, she would fake not remembering what pictures were where, and let me win. I think she did that because she’s such a sweetheart, not because I would throw the cards everywhere and refuse to play if I lost.

I would talk her into giving me her hotels on Boardwalk and Park Place so I didn’t lose in Monopoly, too. Me? Competitive? Besides being a great little soccer player, my sis was that kid in school you wanted to have sitting in front of you so you could get a 100 on your test, too. She started her college career at University of Miami, but you can now find her at Dartmouth University going after a PhD and happily doing research on Experimental Psychology with an emphasis in Cognitive Neuroscience. (Yeah.. I had to write that one down for a while. Maybe she shouldn’t have let me win in Memory?)

Next! My little brother Chaddy!

As much as I would like to think I’m the toughest and most athletic one in the family, I’m confident brother number one wins. He can dunk a basketball and run a 49 second 400!

Unlike our sister, who was the kid that would get all dressed up in winter gear and come back inside 5 minutes later for hot chocolate, Chaddy would stay out in the frigid cold Wisconsin winter with me making the biggest snow men possible and playing street hockey till the sun went down. I distinctly remember leading a group sibling workout session when we all were little and “accidentally” bumping Chad in the head with a dumbbell… because he wasn’t keeping and throwing all our timing off. You know how it was when those 90s workout videos went double time?!

I felt bad about that moment right up until he passed a grueling 12 weeks of Officer Candidate School for the Marine Corps, before becoming a First Lieutenant in the US Marine Corp. Chad got his Bachelor of Science in Criminology at FSU.

And then there’s the youngest of the family, Boom Boom. (Aka Andrew)

The best way to start are in the words of his girlfriend… “I think you and your sister are actually the same person.” Well… he isn’t an Aries, but I think it’s better there’s only one of those in the house.

Boom and I have the same sense of humor and can fully communicate back and forth with Gifs. Besides being an awesome soccer player, playlist mix master, and my off-season liquor mixologist, my brother can make you the meanest bowl of guacamole. Apparently his secret is taking the extra time to finely dice all the ingredients. This skill also got him the coveted role of “official onion cutter” during any family holiday gathering.

I never paid attention to how many onions we use around the holidays, but Andrew did. Now he shows up to the kitchen with ski goggles.

It’s for the kids Andrew…. It’s for the kids.

My mom, Heidi, has been a labor and delivery nurse since before I was born and I’m pretty sure there are thousands of healthy kids running around because of her.

She is my go-to Pinterest and DIY expert and has more homemade Christmas decorations then Santa’s workshop!

2008 was a big year for me since I got to marry my best friend, grill extraordinaire and Brett Favre look-alike, Justin. Actually, calling him Justin is weird… It’s Bubs. He loves that name, trust me.

He’s that red-bearded guy on TV cheering me on with a big wad of chew in his mouth. I don’t approve, but whatever… it’s his gums and teeth. At least I finally found a shampoo that makes his beard smell good.

Bubs is a legend in the kitchen and that includes cleaning up afterward. He’ll talk cars and wine all day and you better have your story straight because he’s a human lie detector with a creepy memory for names, faces, and facts.

Getting married means getting another set of parents…. Yay! I see you cringing when you think of the in laws. Or debating if I’m being sarcastic and am really about to go off on a rant about my In-Laws… Well, I guess I got lucky.

My father in law, Bruce, aka Pops, is a local celebrity for his homemade pies and big bear hugs. Since I’m the daughter he never had, I get spoiled like crazy!

Justin’s mom Pam is my in-house fashion expert, always sending magazine clippings and emails of the seasons newest trends. Our shopping trips are pretty epic and if you ever see me sporting outfits that are matchy-matchy you can bet Pam gave it a thumbs up.

My coach Adam and I have been working together since 2010 and, here’s a secret, he should be on an episode of “Stan Lee’s Superhumans.” First, he can read my mind and second, he needs no sleep or food. Or really a basic living necessity like water.

Not only that, he is ALWAYS early. I’ve never beaten him anywhere, ever. I’ve even messed up practice time in a time zone travel haze and thought for sure I was arriving on site first. Nope. Not once. Adam’s nonstop… and one of the most positive people I know.

One person I didn’t mention was my twin sister. I know! How do you forget someone like that?! Her name is Sania. We sometimes call ourselves the “Bryan Sisters,” can read each other’s minds, and run around hotels dressed up in animal onsies. Plus we’re pretty and take great selfies.

And Then there’s my child. Ruger. Well, when’s he’s being an asshole he’s Justin’s child. He’s a 145lb South African Boerboel Mastiff who thinks he’s a lap dog. His breath will knock. you. out. but only because dad hasn’t brushed his teeth in a while. Hint, hint.

Hmmmmm. I guess I haven’t talked too much about my tennis career yet, have I? I’ll just give you a few highlights since I guess you can always Google me or checkout my Wikipedia page for more details.

I won my first tournament when I was seven years old; since then, I have added a few more trophies to my collection.

I have a 2012 Australian Open Mixed Doubles title with Romanian Men’s Health Cover model, Horia Tecau… you always remember your first! In 2015, I teamed up with the nicest girl on tour, Lucie Safarova to win both the Australian Open and Roland Garros (French Open for some of you newbies)… Who says nice girls finish last? Mike Bryan (he’s the righty) also helped me pick up a 2015 Roland Garros mixed title and Sam Querrey hit a few 140 mph aces to get us to the 2015 US Open mixed doubles final.

Well… That’s probably enough info about me for now. If you feel I’ve left some burning questions unanswered, have your people get a hold of my people. Or there’s always Social Media.