About Joe Rill Expertise Can answer questions related to coaching and playing tennis including stroke production, skill evaluation, group drills, player evaluation, planning and record keeping, mental toughness, first aid and minor health issues, social aspects of club tennis, tennis rules and regulations, and tennis courtesy. I no longer desire to answer questions on "How to become a Pro."
Experience Forty years total playing experience including: 25 years tournament play, three year tennis club tennis director; former racket stringer; Graduate Vandermeer Tennis Univ I; Virginia HS League certified coach; Asst Tournament Director
Expert: Joe Rill Date: 7/3/2008 Subject: Two quick questions
Question Hi,
1. What's your rough estimate of how high a ranking a tour player must have to cover his tour costs (travel, equipment, coaching, etc.)
I assume a player ranked, say, 20 will easily get enough prize money and support to make a profit. But what about a player ranked, say, 150. Would he cover his costs?
2. (This could probably happen--if at all-in doubles.) Say a player, Bill, hits a shot that goes outside the net and below the top of the net and then curves in and lands on fair territory on the other side. The astonished opponent just lets the ball bounce twice.
Does Bill win the point?
Many thanks,
Steve
Answer Hi Steve,
Here’s a quick answer to your second question: Bill wins the point even if he is outside the court and running into the fence… He hits the ball desperately before he rebounds off the chain link barrier. The ball sails only a foot above the court, well outside the net post and bounces inside the opponent’s court. Bill raises his hands in a short victory celebration.
The first part of your question is more difficult because there are so many variables. I do not know the answer but I am willing to give you my thoughts. lol First of all, I believe that players ranked in the top 150 can swing deals with equipment manufacturers so there would be little cost there. Second the players ranked above around 50 are unlikely to have coaches. So the big costs would be travel, housing, meals, and entry fees. As far as housing, many tournaments have local residents who volunteer to host players in their homes. I am not familiar with that program except to say I have heard of it. Players could also economize on meals, but this area is sensitive because of the importance of nutrition to fitness and competition.
The final cost is travel. The tour player could limit his entry to tournaments inside the US, thus saving air fare to Europe. He can drive or share rides with others rather than fly to reduce costs. Different tournaments pay different amounts for early round losers. If the player gets a good draw, he can make more money by winning the first round. If he picks tournaments where the top players are entered in other tournaments, he has a better chance to make money (even though it is less money than the bigger tournaments). I am not knowledgeable enough about the circuit to give you a definitive answer. But we know that there are players ranked 100-150. Obviously they are getting by or there would only be a top 99 (lol)…
After saying all this I think that the higher ranked players are able to invest higher amounts of money in their success. Martina Navratilova is an example of the expensive end of the cost spectrum. She had an entourage that included experts in fitness training, sports psychology, computer analysis, and nutrition. She also had a coach, hitting partner, and an agent (not to mention friends and pets…). She could afford these expenses because she was winning. But the players at the bottom of the rankings can not afford these costs even though they enhance their chances of climbing up the ranking ladder. Good luck on your tennis Steve!
