Julie Ertz Says Being Married to Fellow Professional Athlete Zach Ertz Is a 'Blessing'
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U.S. women's national soccer team star Julie Ertz is preparing for the Summer Olympics with tons of support.
The 29-year-old, who was recently named to the 18-player Team USA roster to compete in the Tokyo Games, tells PEOPLE about getting to the Olympics amid a challenging time and the "blessing" her husband is as she pursues her passion.
The professional athlete is married to NFL player Zach Ertz, a tight end for the Philadelphia Eagles. The two tied the knot in March 2017 and the soccer player says her husband has been extremely supportive of her career — especially because he can relate.
"Being married to a professional athlete is a huge blessing because he understands the lifestyle completely," she explains. "We both know what it takes to reach the top of our sports, so we are always on the same page with our daily routines, and we keep each other disciplined."
Julie adds, "We both had to find unique ways to stay in shape while everything was shut down [amid the COVID-19 pandemic], and having someone who has to keep that as a priority made it so much easier to stay on track even with all the obstacles the pandemic brought. We have both experienced a lot in our careers and those experiences help us both support each other when the other one needs it."
Julie Ertz/ instagram
The athlete says prioritizing their marriage and relationship is one of the most important things to her and Zach, which is partly why she recently partnered with Reebok, calling it a "natural choice" because the company supports them "as a whole, not just as athletes."
As well as the help from her husband, Julie has also had the support of her teammates, specifically after her latest obstacle. The athlete suffered an injury to her right knee in May, leaving fans questioning whether she would be able to compete in Tokyo. But she says she's feeling 100% better now and ready to compete, thanks to her efforts in rehabilitation and the "messages of encouragement and inspiration on the field" from her teammates.
"I just immediately put my focus on getting back with the team when I could. I knew I couldn't rush the recovery, but I always believed I would be ready in time," Julie tells PEOPLE. "I think keeping that positive attitude really helped me each day I was rehabbing because I never let my mind get away from the goal of getting back to 100% for my team."
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Calling it an "honor" to be a part of the national team and represent the country, Julie shares that she tried not to change her preparation for Tokyo when her injury occurred.
"My daily training had to change in order to recover from my injury, but my mindset and goals never changed. It was what I needed to do at the time to be the best for the team," she notes, adding that she "attacked" her recovery the same way she would any game if it meant being her best for the Olympics.
And after a year of waiting, Reebok athlete Julie is excited and ready to compete.
To learn more about all the Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls, visit TeamUSA.org. Watch the Tokyo Olympics beginning July 23rd and the Tokyo Paralympics beginning August 24th on NBC.
