Published January 27, 2024
Lewis Phillips speaks to an introspective Ken Roczen about what he would change about himself during a press day at A2.
“I’m 29 years old now, almost 30, but my perspective on sports has changed a lot and I think it would have been better if I had been in the same mental state I am now earlier.
“Personality-wise, I think I was very nervous when I was younger, and I still am. But I was a little more nervous when I was younger, and that’s maturity, right?
“I think coming overseas (to the U.S.) was pretty confusing. It wasn’t a normal environment. Also, the sports landscape today is different than it was 10 years ago when I first came here. When I was younger. If I had the same mentality as I do now, all I have to do is calm things down. I just feel like I’m a lot smarter now than I was back then. I was fast and healthy, but lately feels much more satisfied than before.
“You’re used to winning, too, right? I think the injury made things a lot worse. The reason I’m talking about the mental side of things, the whole Epstein-Barr side of things, is that I… It was very difficult for me, it was a lot out of my control and I never understood why, mentally I also always wanted and tried to do the right thing.
“In my case, I was suffering from depression and stuff like that because of Epstein Barr, and I couldn’t shake it off easily. It took a toll on my self-confidence.”
The rest of the interview with Ken and more can be found below.
You can also read more about Roczen’s meat-based meals here.