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**seodiary** · 09-19-2008, 08:41 PM

What is the career path for a tennis player? Say you're a 4 year old boy or girl and Santa brings you a tennis racket. What do you have to do to get to Wimbledon, or Roland Garros, or Flushing Meadows?

(sorry if this information is already posted somewhere, but I couldn't find it)

It's like asking how to get to Carnegie Hall ... "practice." Or, in my case, "buy a ticket."

Seriously, one could be blessed with incredible physical skills, natural athleticism, and strong concentration, and get some really good coaching, and perhaps hope for a college scholarship to a Div I or II school.

I hope I'm not raining on your parade, but the percentage of people who try tennis and eventually get referred to as "very good" is pretty small, and the amount who can turn pro is infinitesimal.

But hey, if the 4-year old seems to enjoy playing, and wants to keep doing it, let them go for it. There should be lots of opportunities to play in local tournaments (there are 12-and-under tournaments, once they get close to that age range), and eventually on a high school team. Maybe a week-long tennis camp sometime in the summer, when they're old enough to handle that? If they've really got something special, I suspect someone will say something, or you'll be able to tell based on results.

For an early start with the game, I'm impressed with what the USTA is doing to promote smaller courts, shorter nets, slow-moving foam balls, and mini-rackets, so kids can experience some early success at rallying, etc.
http://www.usopenshop.org/category_s/3984.htm

Most of all, I hope you all end up with a sport you'll enjoy for a lifetime. One of the aspects I love most about tennis is that you can play at pretty much any skill and physical ability level, and have opportunities to learn about competition, teamwork, etc. (Some of us are still learning!

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09-19-2008, 08:41 PM	#3
seodiary Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 488 Senior Member	What is the career path for a tennis player? Say you're a 4 year old boy or girl and Santa brings you a tennis racket. What do you have to do to get to Wimbledon, or Roland Garros, or Flushing Meadows? (sorry if this information is already posted somewhere, but I couldn't find it) It's like asking how to get to Carnegie Hall ... "practice." Or, in my case, "buy a ticket." Seriously, one could be blessed with incredible physical skills, natural athleticism, and strong concentration, and get some really good coaching, and perhaps hope for a college scholarship to a Div I or II school. I hope I'm not raining on your parade, but the percentage of people who try tennis and eventually get referred to as "very good" is pretty small, and the amount who can turn pro is infinitesimal. But hey, if the 4-year old seems to enjoy playing, and wants to keep doing it, let them go for it. There should be lots of opportunities to play in local tournaments (there are 12-and-under tournaments, once they get close to that age range), and eventually on a high school team. Maybe a week-long tennis camp sometime in the summer, when they're old enough to handle that? If they've really got something special, I suspect someone will say something, or you'll be able to tell based on results. For an early start with the game, I'm impressed with what the USTA is doing to promote smaller courts, shorter nets, slow-moving foam balls, and mini-rackets, so kids can experience some early success at rallying, etc. http://www.usopenshop.org/category_s/3984.htm Most of all, I hope you all end up with a sport you'll enjoy for a lifetime. One of the aspects I love most about tennis is that you can play at pretty much any skill and physical ability level, and have opportunities to learn about competition, teamwork, etc. (Some of us are still learning! )
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