NEW YORK – Daniel Elahi Galan has always been a vegetarian. His parents raised him without meat in his diet, and he wants to extend that kind of upbringing to his children. If he ever becomes a father, of course, because he himself says that stage is a long way off.
Today, at the age of 26 and ranked 75 in the world, he is preoccupied with important victories, as in the US Open, when he defeated in the first round one of the favourites for the title, the Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas. He continued his run till the third round, as he had not done before in New York.
“The tour offers better and better options for vegetarians, although sometimes it’s not like that and you have to look for a good alternative outside,” he told CLAY in Flushing Meadows, who is also a fan of cycling, although he keeps his bike in storage, as he doesn’t want to “break” his hand, as happened to him in a fall.
This weekend he defends his country in Davis Cup against Turkey in Bogota, which will lead to the Qualifiers, a stage prior to the finals of the 2023 competition.
– How it feels to be experiencing the firsts times at the age of 26? First win against a top 5 player, first time in the third round in New York…
– The truth is that I’m very happy. In the end it means that I’m doing things right, I’m on the path I decided to take, which is the right one. That’s what gives me the most joy and motivation to keep working.
– What differentiates you from a top 5 player today?
– Clearly they are much more stable during the year, every week they are playing well, winning matches, and that makes a big difference. They play well on all surfaces, and that’s something we have to keep improving to be closer to them.
– There are not many vegetarian tennis players like you, is it a lifestyle that more athletes should follow?
– I was raised that way and it’s normal, like for you guys it’s normal to eat meat and stuff, that’s me and I was raised that way, I don’t feel any different. I don’t try to influence so much or tell people, and things like that, but I think the world is moving towards vegetarianism, I think we have realised that it is a very good diet, without detracting from the other. It’s a very good life choice. Sometimes people try it and stick with it, and I’m glad that more people are choosing it.
– Is the ecological component that goes with vegetarianism a cause that interests you?
– I try not to get too involved in these issues, but it’s definitely a thousand times better for the environment. The resources that are spent, a thousand things because I can’t name just one, to produce the meat, is something that people don’t know about. I haven’t been doing it for that reason, but now I realise that it is very good for the environment. I wish more people would talk about it.
– If you had children, would you take them down the same path as your parents took you?
– Yes, absolutely. I would try to make them vegan. I eat dairy very occasionally. But well, there are many years to go before that happens.
– Do the tournaments on the circuit have good food for vegetarians?
– I’d be lying if I said that all of them do, but a lot of them have already made progress with that. In most of them I can eat very well without having to look for other options outside.
– Has it ever happened to you that at an event you didn’t have the protein you needed?
– Yes, there are weeks when it happens. There are times when I have to go out and eat somewhere else, but it is something that is normal, you have to deal with it and it doesn’t shock me at all. It’s becoming more and more of an issue and it’s easier for me.
