It is a dream that many tennis players have and for some it actually became a reality. Roger Federer one of these great pro players and of course one of the best players, earned over $70 million dollar in one year. Reading about all these great players that are often treated like rock stars let many tennis parents and players think, what does it take to become a pro player.
There are many ways to reach your full potential as a tennis player and to break into the pro level. These are the four fundamentals that you need to have:
Start early
Not always correct, but as a general guidance, often pro players started early, really early. As a young player you develop your skills the best. Don’t do it alone, use a guiding coach to help you develop and build a base of solid strokes. The foundation is vital for future pro play and tournament level. Entering junior tournaments will help you to develop competitive skills so that you know how to win points. Grow your skills by moving from local, to state, to regional and to national tournaments to learn how to develop a strong mental game.
Love tennis, love to play the game
You need to love the game, live, eat and breathe tennis. As a future pro player you need to devote yourself to tennis. You must love tennis so that you can put everything into it. You need to have talent and you need to have the right support. You need to devote the majority of your free time by playing tennis for over 10 years, spending over 10,000 hours of high performance training and competed in over 100 higher level tournaments. Without deep love for the game it is unlikely you will see purpose in it. To win matches at the pro level, you need to have your heart and soul in the game.
You need the right support
Not promissory notes, actual money on a bank account. This point is the most underestimated aspect of the game. Junior level tournaments (until 12 years of age) on a local and regional level including coaching cost are not that high. If you are a talented player and want to reach top national and top international junior ranking the cost skyrockets and you need to have parents that support you. Tennis is very competitive and to exceed as a top player you need to have at least a good coach and hitting partners, you also need to travel to tournaments. If you want to become a traveling pro player you need to have a well funded bank account. The average annual cost of playing the pro circuit is very high.
Train to exceed, get the right coach or tennis academy
The amount of juniors playing tennis and growing into the sport has increased, competition is more fierce. You need to step up your game and get into a training routine. Intensive fitness, tennis sessions with the coach, match play, footwork drills and focus on what you eat need to become a part of your daily routine.
ProWorld US Tennis Blog 