Please support the recovery of Ivan Smith
“Tennis helped him develop with his mind a good work ethic,” says his father. “I told him that, ‘we’re going to get through this.’”
There has always been something relentlessly positive and passionate about Ivan Smith. As a tennis player growing up in San Diego, he lived for the chance to play creatively. His game was smooth, with an effortless blend of spins, speeds, daring and angles. All who watched Smith play put him in high company, even comparing his array to one of the more dazzling shot-makers of recent times, Nick Kyrgios.
At the end of 2019, Smith was ranked No. 1 in boys’ 18 doubles in the highly competitive USTA Southern California section. By the spring of 2022, Ivan was on the squad at Division I University of the Incarnate Word, located in San Antonio.
Then came tragedy.
On April 5, 2022, driving to practice, Ivan’s car was hit by a vehicle that ran a red light. It was as jarring a crash as you can imagine.
“I don’t know how I made it out alive,” said Ivan.
“When he hit the airbags, that’s when he broke all of his ribs and everything here,” Ivan’s brother Kevin said shortly after the accident. “His aorta was damaged. His lungs collapsed.”
Worst of all, Ivan’s spine was severed, paralyzing him from the chest down.
Speaking in a Tennis Channel feature, Ivan’s father, Gary Smith, said, “They didn’t think he was going to make it.” Said his mother, Anita, “We all cried, and we all prayed together. And it was really hard for a long time.” She estimated that, since the accident, Ivan has had a dozen surgeries.
Last summer, Michelle Ford, a Smith family friend and fellow member of San Diego’s Balboa Tennis Club, organized a fundraiser to help generate funds for Ivan’s medical bills. Participants included one of Ivan’s closest childhood, Brandon Nakashima, former pro James Blake, and current ATP pros Marcos Giron and Zachary Svajda.
In the months since the accident, Ivan has put extensive time into rehabilitating himself.
According to the gofundme page started to help support Ivan, “Ivan needs a wheelchair that goes up and down to get more easily in and out of bed and also makes it easier to get into a vehicle. This wheelchair would enable him to stand up so he can get daily circulation to his entire body, keeping his blood pressure stable and his lungs expanding - both critical life functions. Currently, it is very difficult to get into a standard vehicle. A wheelchair-accessible van will allow Ivan to be transported more easily to any destination. Both of these needs will assist Ivan and the Smith family as they move forward to help this courageous young man live a full life. Your generosity is much appreciated.”
So much of what made Ivan thrive as a tennis player has proven valuable—a winning attitude, devotion and, most of all, sheer tenacity.
“If anybody can get through this, said Kevin, “it’s going to be him just because of the competitiveness.
Said Gary, “Tennis helped him develop with his mind a good work ethic. I told him that, ‘we’re going to get through this.’”
Please watch our TenniStory on Ivan Smith below. To help support Ivan, please go to: https://www.gofundme.com/f/ivan-smith-with-the-cost-of-his-recovery