Becoming a pro tennis player is, in many ways, much harder than becoming a pro in a team sport. This is due to players not having anyone else to fall back on, with their success and failure resting squarely on their shoulders. However, if you’re someone who is looking to become a professional tennis player, here are a few tennis guide tips that will put you on the right path.
PRACTICE
Practice, practice, practice! This may sound obvious, but practice is what separates good players from great players. If you want to be a pro, you must train like a pro and be on the court every second you can. Pro tennis players should be practicing for at least five hours every day, five or six times a week. You should be hitting thousands and thousands of balls and mastering every type of stroke and shot there is.
You also need to be in the gym to improve your stamina and strength. There’s no use being skilled with a racket in hand if you’re out of breath or strength 20 or 30 minutes into a match.
FIND A COACH
No matter how good you think you are, there’s no way that you can succeed without an experienced coach. They have the knowledge and years of experience you need to help you get better at your game and eventually master it.
While coaches can be expensive, what they provide is invaluable, as they will often have numerous connections to tennis associations and can get you playing in the right tournaments.
JOIN A CLUB TO BECOME A PRO TENNIS PLAYER
Next, you need to become part of a club, preferably one that holds regular tournaments and has a large group of experienced and skilled players. A club is also a great setting to find motivation and support.
As mentioned, a club that holds regular tournaments will enable you to play against various players and gain priceless experience.
PLAY IN COLLEGE
If you are of college age, you should be aiming to play for a college or university team. Once again, these teams will provide the necessary facilities and opportunities that young players will need if they want to go pro.
University matches are also the ideal setting to be scouted by coaches or management teams that are looking to bring players on board.
PLAY IN LOCAL TOURNAMENTS
Tennis is all about rankings, and to rise through the ranks you need to play in as many tournaments as possible. Local tournaments are usually easily accessible, and depending on the area, can be quite prestigious. If you want to make a name for yourself on the international stage, you first need to be the pro tennis player in your town or city or at least one of the best.
MOVE ON TO NATIONAL TOURNAMENTS
Once you become a pro tennis player in your local area, you need to move on to national tournaments. These are the places where the stars are born and where the “next Roger Federer” is going to be found. Considering that these tournaments often include a qualification process or are invite-only, you will have to play at your very best, and progress to the later rounds of the tournament, or even win it.
PLAY ATP OR WTA TOURNAMENTS
Once you’ve made a name for yourself on the national level, you can apply to play on the ATP or WTA circuits. These are professional circuits that almost every player must succeed in on their way to becoming a professional, full-time player.
These tournaments will improve your ranking and earn you points in the process. These two things combined will then make you eligible to play in the bigger tournaments across the globe, which is where you can start to earn serious money and potentially win your way through to a spot in a major.
ALWAYS STRIVE FOR THE BEST FINISH
Much like every other sport, tennis is all about results. Nobody pays attention to the player who consistently exits tournaments in the first or second round: they care about the players that make it to the finals or win.
While it’s almost impossible to win every tournament you enter, pro tennis players need to understand that every single match result matter, no matter how big or small the game.