Champions Of Change: Gaby Dabrowski

Gaby Dabrowski is a force to be reckoned with. With 17 WTA Titles under her belt—3 of them Grand Slams—she has relentlessly worked her way to a WTA doubles ranking of No. 3.

An honest fighter in every sense of the word, Gaby has worked her way from the ground up. Clearing hurdles with perseverance and winning at with presence, we’re proud to have her on the team as HIA #75.

Hey Gaby.

Hello Marcus!

Can you share a pivotal moment in your career that defined your path as an athlete?

There have been numerous moments during my tennis career that defined my path. One that sticks out within the past couple of years is the commitment to being the best doubles partner I can be. I used to think that on court attitude didn’t matter as much as the skills you brought into battle. I was wrong. Attitude matters just as much as all of the skills you develop in practice. While I still find myself internalizing my mistakes sometimes, I’ve improved my ability to remain present and supportive towards my doubles partner as well as my own tennis. I’m beginning to even smile more on the court, and for someone that’s been very self-deprecating for many years, this has been the biggest win of all.

Gaby at Wimbledon, 2024.

Who has been your biggest inspiration in sports or life, and why?

I’ve always been inspired by Andy Murray. He is an advocate for women in sports and isn't afraid to speak up about issues he cares about. Andy also has great work ethic and extreme attention to detail. As someone who’s always looking for ways to improve their performance, I’ve found that trait to be motivating as well as reassuring that the way I approach things can lead to success.

What’s the best piece of advice you've ever received?

“You are not your mind.” I learned this from life and performance coach Barbara Fittipaldi when I was in my early twenties. Up until that point, I’d spent my entire life believing my thoughts and always looking for evidence to support my opinions and judgements. Barbara was the first person (or at least the first person I listened to) who taught me that the purpose of the mind is to keep us safe. Learning this was a catalyst to me starting to be able to disassociate from my thoughts and not attach meaning to them. It has taken me over a decade since to be in a place where I am better at recognising limiting beliefs, judgements, and attempts to control outcomes with certain behaviours. “You are not your mind” is such a powerful statement because it means you don’t have to make sense of everything. It also enables you to distinguish fact from interpretation, and allows for our self-identity to be malleable and changeable. With that, possibilities for body, mind, and spirit, are endless.

What does a typical training day look like for you?

Over the course of my tennis journey, training days have changed a lot. When I was a junior tennis player, training days were longer and geared towards technical and tactical development as well as endurance. Now that I’m in my 30’s, I focus so much more on injury prevention versus hours of repetition and match play. In pre-season, my days are 1-2 hours of tennis, 1-2 hours of functional training (gym, pilates, etc), and 45 minutes of physio/recovery. During tournaments, my day might look like 1-2 hours of tennis, 45 minutes functional training, and 1 hour of physio/recovery.

What’s the strangest yet most effective training that's worked for you?

Gyrotonic training has been very effective in helping me minimize lower back pain and connect with my body. It has helped me train end of range mobility and strength in a non-impactful way. Not many people know about the Gyrotonic method, but I won’t be gatekeeping it because I believe it can help people of all ages feel their best.

Do you have a pre-game ritual, song, or meal?

My pre-game meal is pretty boring, it usually involves rice with chicken or salmon, and a little veg too. My ritual is to prep my water bottles with electrolytes, see the physio if I need, warm up my body in the gym, go over the game plan again with my coach, and put on sunscreen haha. Music wise I like listening to anything upbeat before I play. I'm not too picky.

How do you stay motivated?

Motivation is certainly a feeling that comes and goes. For many years I felt burnt out because it felt like I’d been “working” since the age of 9 (when tennis became all-consuming). So, when motivation wasn’t there, I relied on discipline and determination to get me through the grind of the tour. Luckily, within the past few years I have been able to find more joy in the game and the challenges it brings. With that joy, I don’t really think about motivation anymore because I look forward to practices and the opportunities to try to master my craft.

What techniques do you use to stay focused and composed?

I try to practice staying present. The more you do it, the easier it becomes, but it’s never perfect and that’s okay. I’ve also learned to be kinder to myself when I make mistakes. I think finding a balance between having high standards and being gentle with yourself when you falter is key to maintaining focus and composure.

What has been the biggest challenge you've faced in your career and how did you overcome it?

The biggest challenge I’ve faced in tennis is a financial one. I don’t come from wealth and at a certain point in my tennis I had to make a decision about what path I would take. In my early twenties, I couldn’t afford a coach to help me improve my singles game, but I was having good results in doubles. I decided to put more effort into playing doubles consistently, finding higher level partners to play with, and improving my skills in the doubles domain. I figured doubles would be my best chance at playing in Grand Slams and the Olympics. Fortunately, I was right, and through doubles I’ve been able to play with some incredible partners, have success, and be in a comfortable financial position that enables me to give back.

What is it about your mindset that's enabled you to succeed in your sport?

Most recently, being able to more consistently detach from outcomes has helped me to have success. Whatever good results I’ve had in 2024 didn’t come because I willed them to or because I dreamt of a trophy… the results came because I stuck to my process of improvement and I didn’t try to control how things turned out. Learning to trust yourself to be able to handle difficult moments is key.

Thank you Gaby for sharing some incredible golden nuggets of wisdom Gaby, feeling really inspired after listening to your story. Keep doing what you’re doing, you’re awesome!

To follow Gaby @gabydabrowski

Gaby at the 2024 Australian Open.