pro tennis realistic goal? please set me straight

[tennishotdog]

Im in my mid-twenties. Played tennis for roughly 5 years now, on and off(mostly because of school). I've never taken paid lessons; taught myself and learned the game and techniques mostly with tips, wisdom and knowledge from the always helpful and insightful TT forum members, the good old WWW and Youtube.

Im not tall, big or strong but I used to play basketball, soccer and hockey in my teens so I think Im pretty athletic and have good hand-eye coordination. My playing level is probably around the 3.5 to 4.0 mark as I've been told but have never played in any tournaments before so I've no idea how I'd measure up.

I have seen some 4.0 and 5.0 tournament matches and I like to think I could hang with them, just on stroke production and technique though. I haven't had many match experiences either since I only just hit the wall or rally to hone the proper technique and form and get the fundamentals down first.

Anyhoo, my ultimate goal in tennis is to compete at the Open level(5.5+) and maybe one day become a professional tennis player. Is this a realistic goal or just a pipe dream? Is it even a possibility to get to that level for someone like me?

[dozu]

finish school, get a job, and enjoy tennis as a hobby.

[tennishotdog]

oops I forgot to put up a video but i will post it later after my class

[TheMagicianOfPrecision]

Im not trying to spread my videos or anything, im trying to help you.
I used to play on the Future circuit and played some Satellites back in the days, i never got a world singles ranking but i beat a guy ranked 950 in the world and i was ranked 1100 in doubles.

This was 8-10 years ago.

TODAY i would probably lose 3-6,2-6 against myself back in 2000-2003.

This is how i play now, so judge for yourself: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mieY_...yer_detailpage
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfEpk...yer_detailpage

[TheIrrefutableOne]

sure you can go pro.....

[Giannis]

Not realistic, especially since it took you 5 years to get to 3.5-4.0. With TONS of practice and especially match experience, you could probably reach 5.0 level in a few years.

[arche3]

5.0 plus possible. Definitely.

Pro? Not happening. Nada. Zilch.

[TheIrrefutableOne]

I cannot believe anyone thinks he is serious. LOL

[JRstriker12]

Originally Posted by tennishotdog

Im in my mid-twenties. Played tennis for roughly 5 years now, on and off(mostly because of school). I've never taken paid lessons; taught myself and learned the game and techniques mostly with tips, wisdom and knowledge from the always helpful and insightful TT forum members, the good old WWW and Youtube.

Im not tall, big or strong but I used to play basketball, soccer and hockey in my teens so I think Im pretty athletic and have good hand-eye coordination. My playing level is probably around the 3.5 to 4.0 mark as I've been told but have never played in any tournaments before so I've no idea how I'd measure up.

I have seen some 4.0 and 5.0 tournament matches and I like to think I could hang with them, just on stroke production and technique though. I haven't had many match experiences either since I only just hit the wall or rally to hone the proper technique and form and get the fundamentals down first.

Anyhoo, my ultimate goal in tennis is to compete at the Open level(5.5+) and maybe one day become a professional tennis player. Is this a realistic goal or just a pipe dream? Is it even a possibility to get to that level for someone like me?

If you look at a 5.0 tournament and think you could hang in with those guys on stroke production alone you are delusional.

Most 3.5s think they can hit the ball hard, and maybe they can, but no 3.5 or 4.0 can hit the ball as hard, deep, and with the amount of spin, directional control, and consistency as a 5.0 player.

You may have seen the 4.0 slice and dice master and think "look at those strokes, I can beat that guy!" but you haven't played that guy and don't realize how he can take your game apart.

Now, could you truly compete at a 5.0+ level? Assuming you were exceptionally athletic, spent a ton of money on a coach, and trained several hours every day, you have a slim chance of becoming a 5.0 - prob about a 5-10% chance.

Before you decide to pursue this pipe dream, do yourself a favor (assuming you are in the USA) join USTA and play a 3.5 tournament, a 4.0 tournament, and then play an open tournament where you may run into 5.0+ players. I think it will be eye opening.

[dozu]

i am not trying to spread my video...

check my signature... if you are 3.5-4.0, it will take you another 5 years just to beat me, the king of the community court.

[atac]

I'll give you my honest evaluation, even a 5.0 or above seems a bit unlikely being that you're already in your mid-twenties and usually you have other obligations at that point that'll probably get in the way of putting in all that much needed hard work to get to just that level, especially if you are a 3.5 to 4.0 right now. Theres a lot of D1 college level players out there who are 5.0 - 5.5 that have been playing non stop since like age 4, and being a successful pro (on the challenger tour) is highly unlikely for most of them. My advice would be to just improve as much as you can if thats what you want and shoot for maybe a 4.5 rating. Thats probably the highest level were you can actually get the most enjoyment out of the game before it feels like a career.

[jdubbs]

Originally Posted by atac

I'll give you my honest evaluation, even a 5.0 or above seems a bit unlikely being that you're already in your mid-twenties and usually you have other obligations at that point that'll probably get in the way of putting in all that much needed hard work to get to just that level, especially if you are a 3.5 to 4.0 right now. Theres a lot of D1 college level players out there who are 5.0 - 5.5 that have been playing non stop since like age 4, and being a successful pro (on the challenger tour) is highly unlikely for most of them. My advice would be to just improve as much as you can if thats what you want and shoot for maybe a 4.5 rating. Thats probably the highest level were you can actually get the most enjoyment out of the game before it feels like a career.

I agree with this. I came back to the game recently, and was ranked 4.0. I finally feel comfortable enough to compete at 4.5, but realistically, I don't see winning any tournaments at this level, just enjoy the competition.
And to get to this level takes a ton of commitment, a lot of training, coaching, playing etc. It almost feels like a job sometimes, as even a few days off sets me back.

So I would just enjoy trying to progress, set a goal to get to 4.5 or 5.0. But a pro career is out of the question in tennis at this point.

[pushing_wins]

Originally Posted by tennishotdog

Im in my mid-twenties. Played tennis for roughly 5 years now, on and off(mostly because of school). I've never taken paid lessons; taught myself and learned the game and techniques mostly with tips, wisdom and knowledge from the always helpful and insightful TT forum members, the good old WWW and Youtube.

Im not tall, big or strong but I used to play basketball, soccer and hockey in my teens so I think Im pretty athletic and have good hand-eye coordination. My playing level is probably around the 3.5 to 4.0 mark as I've been told but have never played in any tournaments before so I've no idea how I'd measure up.

I have seen some 4.0 and 5.0 tournament matches and I like to think I could hang with them, just on stroke production and technique though. I haven't had many match experiences either since I only just hit the wall or rally to hone the proper technique and form and get the fundamentals down first.

Anyhoo, my ultimate goal in tennis is to compete at the Open level(5.5+) and maybe one day become a professional tennis player. Is this a realistic goal or just a pipe dream? Is it even a possibility to get to that level for someone like me?

finish school, get a job, and enjoy tennis as a hobby.

[MarinaHighTennis]

Originally Posted by dozu

i am not trying to spread my video...

check my signature... if you are 3.5-4.0, it will take you another 5 years just to beat me, the king of the community court.

4.5 at least?

[LeeD]

Lots of naysayers here....
And I"m one of them.
I was a pretty good athlete, LEFT handed, quicker than anyone on the varsity football or basketball teams, played littleleaque and juniorhigh baseball, surfed 4A level, and took up tennis at 24. At 5'11", I had a great serve, in anyone's league (but that was 38 years ago!), practiced with local (SanFrancisco) B's, A/Open's, the two local colleges top 3's, and took 3 full years to win a big draw C tourney.
That led me to the bottom of the pile A/Open tourneys and 2 Q's. Once the guys took my game seriously, I was destroyed.
However, you CAN become a borderline 5.0 and become a TEACHING PRO!

[sureshs]

Originally Posted by pushing_wins

finish school, get a job, and enjoy tennis as a hobby.

That is exactly what dozu said

[5263]

Originally Posted by tennishotdog

Anyhoo, my ultimate goal in tennis is to compete at the Open level(5.5+) and maybe one day become a professional tennis player. Is this a realistic goal or just a pipe dream? Is it even a possibility to get to that level for someone like me?

Open level is very realistic at your age if you train well.

Pro is a pipe dream if you start at 8yr old with a major academy. Most of them never make top 500, but a pipe dream is what it starts with for all that make it.

[joe sch]

Your goal should be to get some tournament experience and try to win tournaments at the 3.5 then 4.0 level. Achieving this at the 4.5 level and above is not likely based on your history and understanding of levels in tennis.

[rkelley]

I'll be a bit more optimistic . . .

If you're willing to spend the time and learn proper technique, and this means focused practice several times a week (year round), not hacking around with some buddies on the weekend, and assuming you have an average level of athletism and you're in decent shape, you ought to be able to get up to 5.0 to 5.5 level eventually. Dave Smith preaches this and it makes sense to me. The folks I see who haven't achieved that level, and that is most folks admittedly (including me), usually have flaws in various aspects of their strokes and/or don't have the time to spend to get them grooved to the point where they're consistent enough in match situations. If you're willing to work and spend the time to get those strokes really solid, then 5.0 to 5.5 should be doable.

A coach would be really, really helpful in making this happen.

Now when you say "pro" do you mean playing at the US Open? Then I'd say no unless you're some freak of nature. The number of hours required to train your body, and mind, to hit as hard and consistently, with all of the variety that pros hit with is crazy. If you haven't achieved this by your mid-twenties, there isn't enough time left even if you have the talent. A young, teenaged body can go out and hit 4-6 hours a day, 5-6 days a week. That's pretty hard on a 30 year old even if you had the time.

[dennis10is]

Originally Posted by tennishotdog

Im in my mid-twenties. Played tennis for roughly 5 years now, on and off(mostly because of school). I've never taken paid lessons; taught myself and learned the game and techniques mostly with tips, wisdom and knowledge from the always helpful and insightful TT forum members, the good old WWW and Youtube.

Im not tall, big or strong but I used to play basketball, soccer and hockey in my teens so I think Im pretty athletic and have good hand-eye coordination. My playing level is probably around the 3.5 to 4.0 mark as I've been told but have never played in any tournaments before so I've no idea how I'd measure up.

I have seen some 4.0 and 5.0 tournament matches and I like to think I could hang with them, just on stroke production and technique though. I haven't had many match experiences either since I only just hit the wall or rally to hone the proper technique and form and get the fundamentals down first.

Anyhoo, my ultimate goal in tennis is to compete at the Open level(5.5+) and maybe one day become a professional tennis player. Is this a realistic goal or just a pipe dream? Is it even a possibility to get to that level for someone like me?

Read the posts here and you'll find out that middle aged men with little training in tennis, largely self-taught, are confident that they know what is wrong with the top pros. So, as you can deduce, tennis is a simple sport to master. I would say, two years of reading the tips here would be sufficient for you to be a 5.5+

Do not be deceived by the false modesty by the members here. Read some more posts and you will find little modesty actually exist.