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Sporting Life

As seasons stretch and bodies tire, athletes have to hold on to joy

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rbgym/ST20230223_202329163610/Ng Sor Luan/The gym (Performance and Rehabilitation Gym) at Singapore Sports Hub used by national athletes, the athletes and the training they do there.

Sport is often well paid and glamorous, but there’s an unseen strain to this full-time, all-year life under the pressure of the public microscope.

ST PHOTO: NG SOR LUAN

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Learner Tien

plays four hours and 49 minutes against Daniil Medvedev

at the 2025 Australian Open. He finishes at 2.54am. He speaks to media, stretches, eats and gets to sleep around 7am. Two matches later he loses and is asked how he feels.

“A bit broken.”

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