Broken Back, Unbreakable Spirit – How Tennis Taught Me Resilience When Life Fell Apart
Written by Aaron Rusnak, Innovation Tennis Coach
Aaron Rusnak is a 30-year tennis industry leader, mentor, and innovator recognized for shaping elite player and coach development through his forward-thinking methodologies, data-driven, and mentorship initiatives.
A devastating back injury stole my movement, my identity, and the life I knew, until resilience, purpose, and the love for my family and players rebuilt me from the inside out.
“This injury didn’t end me. It revealed me.”
In the fall of 2016, during what should have been a routine junior conditioning session, my life changed in an instant. I was jumping rope with my players, something I’d done for decades. My coaching philosophy was simple, never ask them to do something I wouldn’t do myself. But on this day, my right leg stopped responding. I kept tripping. My timing felt off. Something inside my body was failing.
Minutes later, I sprinted up the stairs to use the restroom, a normal movement for anyone, especially a former pro athlete, and that’s when it felt like something exploded inside my lower back. A pain shot through me so violently that it stole my breath. A radiating electric current surged down my right leg. My foot dragged behind me like it belonged to someone else.
Within days, I couldn’t walk at all. I had unknowingly damaged the L4, L5, and S1 discs, crushing nerves, inflaming the sciatic pathway, and triggering spasms so powerful they locked my body into paralysis.
At my worst, I couldn’t breathe without pain. I couldn’t stand up straight. I couldn’t walk across the room. There were days I literally had to crawl on the floor just to get to the bathroom or the shower. My wife had to help bathe me because I couldn’t bend, twist, or support my own weight.
I had been an athlete my whole life. I had survived the pro circuit with injuries from head to toe. Coaching thousands of players with energy and passion. But now, I was a shadow of myself, hunched over, shuffling, gasping through spasms that felt like my spine was being electrocuted.
Doctors told me I may need to change careers because I wouldn’t regain full function. That coaching, like I used to, was over. Those words hit harder than any injury.
My son was young. He wanted to run, play, climb, jump, and I couldn’t do any of it. I sat on benches at playgrounds, watching other dads chase their kids while I sat frozen in a back brace, defeated, ashamed, grieving the father I wanted to be.
Desperate to recover, I went through every treatment imaginable, hydrodissection, prolotherapy, muscle activation techniques, active release therapy, chiropractic adjustments, stim therapy, and countless hours of rehab. Some gave temporary relief, others made things worse. But I refused to stop fighting.
During this time, I was coaching at a major facility and at Elmhurst University. Before injury, I ran drills at full speed, played tournaments, lifted weights daily, and was a central figure in building one of the largest junior programs in the area.
After injury, I shuffled, hunched over, breathing heavily through spasms, having to sit during sessions and lie on the floor between classes. Yet something unexpected happened, my leadership evolved.
My ability to listen deepened. My empathy expanded. I could read players through their tone, posture, and expression. Even without hitting a ball, I coached a player to a Wisconsin state championship purely through connection, communication, and belief.
After months of progress, I finally removed the back brace. My son and I went to a nearby basketball court, something I had dreamed of. He dribbled and laughed. I moved around him, smiling. Then, with one small turn, my back exploded again.
A violent electric shock shot from my glute down to my leg. My muscles locked. Every step triggered another lightning bolt. I hobbled home, crushed. I felt joy, shock, panic, heartbreak, anger, fear, and disbelief in seconds.
This setback lasted months. But I refused to quit. I went straight back to Dr. Sean. I corrected, recalibrated, and rebuilt. My son witnessed that fight. My staff witnessed it. My players witnessed it. And in that fight, something beautiful happened, I became the leader I was always meant to be.
Every night, even in the darkest times, I could look in the mirror and say, I am doing the best I can. And tomorrow, I will try again.
Today, in my 40s, I am grateful beyond words to say I can run again. I can hit with the best players. I can play with my son. I can show up fully for my wife. I can lead my staff with clarity, empathy, and gratitude.
I didn’t just return to who I was. I became someone better, stronger, wiser, and more human. The darkest moments of my life became the foundation for the greatest version of myself.
Life will break you. It will knock you down. It will zap you with pain you never asked for. But you always have a choice in how you respond. Your comeback can be greater than your setback. Your purpose can rise from your pain. This injury didn’t end me. It revealed me.
“Your comeback can be greater than your setback.”
Aaron Rusnak, Innovation Tennis Coach
Aaron Rusnak is a 30-year tennis industry leader, coach, and inspirational speaker known for developing players and coaches at every level of the game. As Director of Private Instruction at Five Star Tennis and founder of Innovation Tennis Coaching, he blends data-driven performance with mentorship and leadership education. A former USTA Pro Circuit competitor and GPTCA ATP Tour Coach, Aaron's passion lies in helping others grow through connection, purpose, and self-belief. Through his inspirational speaking, educational programs, and The Ripple Effect Podcast, he continues to empower coaches and players worldwide to lead, learn, and make a lasting impact both on and off the court.
