“The person comes first, and the athlete comes after, there is a life after a sporting career” says Carlos Cuadrado, former tennis pro and current sailor around the world.

From a young  age Carlos Cuadrado was touring the youth tennis circuit of his home country, Spain. He was doing very well, but  didn’t quite know just how well until he signed up for the French Open or Roland Garros and won the tournament’s juniors singles in 2001.

This win brought forth a new chapter in his career. He was catapulted  into the limelight, rubbing shoulders with the best in the world. It was a time full of promise and his star was rising.  He could have been the best in the world. As it can sometimes turn out in life, unexpected things can happen and for Carlos it was  the injuries sustained which would consistently affect his playing career year after year, operation after operation.

At  age 25 Carlos  started his post-professional tennis player life which quite literally would  take him around the world as he travels the world’s oceans  with his sailboat. “I feel vulnerable and very humble when I’m on the ocean, I try to interact with nature and be a part of it instead of trying to fight it”, says Carlos.

What is sudden success like? What happens when everything changes and you have to renegotiate your whole identity? How long is the mourning period of a great promise? How do you choose between buying a home or a boat? What does global warming and pollution look like in the ocean?

These are some of the things we talked about in this conversation with Carlos, who truly is  a  beneficial presence on our planet. His story inspires!

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