5 Year Old Tennis Prodigy

[Tchocky]

Jan Silva is 5 years old and loves to play tennis. His parents are uprooting their family from Northern California to move to France where he will train at Mouratoglu Tennis Academdy for free. I think this is the same tennis academy where Baghdatis came out of. Here is the full story:

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/tennis/2007-07-29-JanSilva_N.htm?csp=34

 

[PimpMyGame]

Is he a member on this forum? More an imp than a troll, I'd say.

 

[WBF]

I wonder if they will teach him the word "burnout".

 

[KBalla08]

haha i read that article in USATODAY yesterday on my flight home. if he turns out to be good, that would be great, especially on clay since he is training in France... we need good American clay courters!!!!

 

[Bodacious DVT]

we need good American clay courters!!!!

I'll second that.

 

[ayyhwang]

thats kind of wishful thinking and stupid to sell your house just to have a 5 year old train at a good academy. something could happen to him that would destroy his 'future career'

 

[stormholloway]

At 5 years old this kid could suffer from dwarfism and you couldn't even tell.

 

[ShcMad]

I remember Jan Silva's father being a member of this forum.

 

[forzainter]

haha i read that article in USATODAY yesterday on my flight home. if he turns out to be good, that would be great, especially on clay since he is training in France... we need good American clay courters!!!!

i would love it if he got french citizenship and played for france instead

 

[mrHan]

At 5 years old this kid could suffer from dwarfism and you couldn't even tell.

A dwarf World #1... now that would be amazing!

 

[QuietDaze]

Wow - can you imagine the pressure that poor kid will be under when he is old enough to understand that his parents gave up their house for him? He's just a baby, what if he grows up and doesn't even want to play tennis for a living?

 

[GRANITECHIEF]

Jan's older brother Kadyn just got pummeled in the 2nd round of the West Coast Junior Champs by the #1 seed.

http://tennislink.usta.com/tournaments/Draws/EventDraw.aspx?T=46554&E=4&D=M&S=1

I guess the training in France didn't do him that much good.

 

[Moose Malloy]

these types of articles pop up every few years. I recall articles about 5 year old phenoms in the 80s/90s as well. wonder what happened to them.

its pretty amazing how many take this risk, & how many don't end up making it.

 

[GRANITECHIEF]

True but if the risk isn't taken, then the chances are zero as opposed to low.

 

[QuietDaze]

True but if the risk isn't taken, then the chances are zero as opposed to low.

Why are the chances zero? Why do they have to send him to a tennis academy at 5 years old?

 

[Moose Malloy]

^yeah, exactly. most of the great players were not at academies at 5.

Many top players only got serious about tennis when they were 13/14, they weren't at academies since birth or something.

 

[goober]

Why are the chances zero? Why do they have to send him to a tennis academy at 5 years old?

True dat. There are many top pros that didn't go the academy route- Chang and Sampras to name two. Querrey was playing "after school tennis" not even full time like other pro-bound youngsters from what I have read.

But to be fair I think Granitechief was talking more in a general sense- that if you don't take the plunge to go for it and put your resources into making your kid reach his or her potential then you will never know if they could have made it or not to the top.

 

[chess9]

Ah, but what's a dream for? Good for them, and good for the kid.

If it doesn't work out, the kid won't be scarred for life. His parents are asking all the right questions and making good decisions based upon the best interests of the child.

Would I send a 5 year old to tennis camp? Probably not, but this kid seems to be sui generis.

-Robert

 

[KBalla08]

well he loves tennis, and loves the training, from what i have read. if he likes it, then the parents should be happy

 

[king of swing]

wow thats amazing... wish I was him when I was five..lol

 

[Moose Malloy]

Capriati sure did love tennis when she was 5 as well. When she was 17, not so much.

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/mugshots/capriatimug1.html

 

[ayyhwang]

these things are true but if the kid somehow injures himself permantely, all the money would be wasted and they will regret it. he has about 13 years to go pro, if he does, and in that time anything can happen to him

 

[35ft6]

Wow - can you imagine the pressure that poor kid will be under when he is old enough to understand that his parents gave up their house for him? He's just a baby, what if he grows up and doesn't even want to play tennis for a living?

Kids are amazingly resilient. This is the only life he'll know and if he loves it then he loves it, and only people insisting to him that he's been cheated out of a childhood could compromise his joy. Shoot, when I was a kid, I didn't want to go to school, I would have ate hamburgers and ice cream every day, and did all sorts of stupid things. Thank god my parents were meanies and made me study, take different extracurricular classes, and do all kinds of weird things that made my childhood "suck." That's the thing about childhood, it ends eventually, and then you're forced to compete in the adult world. I wonder if Agassi is bitter for having grown up in an academy? Perhaps that's something he can ponder as he pulls into the driveway of his 40 million dollar compound.

Another thing I find funny is IMO having my life revolve around tennis, or any sport I loved, is almost the very definition of "dream childhood."

 

[PimpMyGame]

It's right this kid's family took the chance. You only regret the things you didn't do.

 

[Starlite]

I remember Jan Silva's father being a member of this forum.

Yeah I remeber a thread a few months ago similar to this, then Jan's father got all defensive about people speculating the future for example he'll get burnt out or "why are his parents depriving him of a childhood" type thing. It was a pretty interesting thread.

edit: Here it is.

 

[Aeropro master]

Too much pressure, I hope he becomes the next American #1 but he'll probably burnout.

 

[IanRichardson]

for a kid that young he amazed me. The video i saw the other day was really promising.

 

[anchorsteamer]

Kids are amazingly resilient. This is the only life he'll know and if he loves it then he loves it, and only people insisting to him that he's been cheated out of a childhood could compromise his joy. Shoot, when I was a kid, I didn't want to go to school, I would have ate hamburgers and ice cream every day, and did all sorts of stupid things. Thank god my parents were meanies and made me study, take different extracurricular classes, and do all kinds of weird things that made my childhood "suck." That's the thing about childhood, it ends eventually, and then you're forced to compete in the adult world. I wonder if Agassi is bitter for having grown up in an academy? Perhaps that's something he can ponder as he pulls into the driveway of his 40 million dollar compound.

Another thing I find funny is IMO having my life revolve around tennis, or any sport I loved, is almost the very definition of "dream childhood."

Nah...thats pretty rough of his parents to do that to him. You site the example that worked (agassi) without factoring in the thousands who are now working at Bolleteri's making $11 an hour to hustle around the "next great star"...

To put that on a 5 year old kid sucks...it basically personifies what crazy/psycho tennis parents are capable of...

 

[35ft6]

Nah...thats pretty rough of his parents to do that to him.

All parents do this. You let a 5 yo determine his own destiny and he'll eat ice cream at every meal, skip school, and grow up wanting to be a magician astronaut.

You site the example that worked (agassi) without factoring in the thousands who are now working at Bolleteri's making $11 an hour to hustle around the "next great star"...

At the very least, this kid is going to get a free education. No reason why he has to end up making 11 an hour.

To put that on a 5 year old kid sucks...it basically personifies what crazy/psycho tennis parents are capable of...

We don't know if they're crazy, do we?

 

[Moose Malloy]

here's a clip of him "playing" tennis with meredith veira on the today show. pretty funny..

http://gawker.com/news/eat-my-ball!-eaaaat-it!/meredith-viera-whales-on-defenseless-child-285760.php

 

[Azzurri]

.................................nice FH.

 

[Rafa freak]

He will have no personality. Just like federer when he grows up.

 

[Rafa freak]

Capriati sure did love tennis when she was 5 as well. When she was 17, not so much.

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/mugshots/capriatimug1.html

She was on dope for awhile.

 

[jansilvatennis]

I am Jan Silva's father. I read these post from time to time and feel compelled to clear a few things up. We sold our home in California and moved to France to give our sons an opportuntiy that I think only comes around once in a lifetime. I have become defensive on these post when people say things like how crazy we are. Granitechief has posted on here and said how we wont allow Jan to play with a kid from a neighboring club who we dont know from a can of paint. If you have a kid, and someone you dont know comes up to you and starts telling you how your kid needs to meet and play with your kid how would you react??? People on here whom dont know us call us crazy tennis parents and I think we are normal. My sons do not cheat when they play. My older son recieved the boys Sportsmanship award at the USTA Pacific Zonals going 4-1. What Granitechief failed to mention was Kadyn played the Zonals in AZ, 5 days of singles and doubles then flew to Sacramento on monday got off the plane and went directly to the court where he won his first round match then lost to the Number 1 ranked player in NorCal. Kadyn has been away from Tennis for 2 years. The French Academy is taking care of Kadyn for only the past two months. In that time after not playing too much he has won 3 boys 12's tournaments and taken 3rd in a couple of others. Vic Braden thinks Kadyn is going to shock the world. Granitechief the Don King of tennis keep trying to play matchmaker for 5 and almost 7 year olds. If there is anything that you want to know just ask...We are personable people...

 

[jansilvatennis]

very insightful.

 

[Tchocky]

I am Jan Silva's father. I read these post from time to time and feel compelled to clear a few things up. We sold our home in California and moved to France to give our sons an opportuntiy that I think only comes around once in a lifetime. We have jobs with the Academy with retirement benefits and salaries that match what we were making in America. I have become defensive on these post when people say things like how crazy we are. Granitechief has posted on here and said how we wont allow Jan to play with a kid from a neighboring club who we dont know from a can of paint. If you have a kid, and someone you dont know comes up to you and starts telling you how your kid needs to meet and play with their kid how would you react??? People on here whom dont know us call us crazy tennis parents and I think we are normal. My sons do not cheat when they play. My older son recieved the boys Sportsmanship award at the USTA Pacific Zonals going 4-1. What Granitechief failed to mention was Kadyn played the Zonals in AZ, 5 days of singles and doubles then flew to Sacramento on monday got off the plane and went directly to the court where he won his first round match then lost to the Number 1 ranked player in NorCal. Kadyn has been away from Tennis for 2 years. The French Academy is taking care of Kadyn for only the past two months. In that time after not playing too much he has won 3 boys 12's tournaments 1 boys 14's challenger and taken 3rd in a couple of others. Vic Braden thinks Kadyn is going to shock the world. Granitechief the Don King of tennis keep trying to play matchmaker for 5 and almost 7 year olds. If there is anything that you want to know just ask...

If you really are Jan Silva's dad, then I wish you and your family the best of luck. I have seen video of your son play and he truly is a great talent. I think you and your wife are doing what you truly feel is best for your son's future. I hope to see him contending for majors in 10+ years. Viva France!

 

[jansilvatennis]

i would love it if he got french citizenship and played for france instead

Thats not a half bad idea!:grin:

 

[jansilvatennis]

If you really are Jan Silva's dad, then I wish you and your family the best of luck. I have seen video of your son play and he truly is a great talent. I think you and your wife are doing what you truly feel is best for your son's future. I hope to see him contending for majors in 10+ years. Viva France!

thank you! The thing that people seem to miss out on here is the fact that we are the recipients of 2 amazing gifts. First with Jan and now with Mr. Mouratoglou. There would be no tennis for Jan's older brother if it were not for Jan and his talents that he himself honed. Tennis is a sport that costs lots of money to finance...Travel to tournaments, Hotels, Flights. Jan's older brother was out of tennis for 2 years because of a lack of finances. Now he is back and the academy is funding his game as well. We couldnt be happier with the people we are involved with.

 

[mrHan]

Javsilvatennis,

I am truly amazed by your kid's ability and even more by your family's dedication. Hopefully he will be the next world number 1. I would be really interested to hear how he got started at such an early age.

p.s. Can I get an autograph of the next king of tennis?

 

[MaximRecoil]

Totally ridiculous. Yes...he can hit a ball back, yes he has a stroke, but he is a MIDGET (sorry for not being politically correct). My son is 2 1/2 ears old and 37 inches tall.

Average height for a 2-year-old boy is 36". Average height for a 3-year-old boy is 39". Halfway between is 37.5". It looks like your son is about 0.5" shy of average height.

This kid is barely taller than him. He is TOO short.

"Barely"? The kid is 4' tall (48"). He is 11" taller than your son. Is someone who is 6' tall "barely" taller than someone who is 5' 1" tall?

In any event, 44" is average height for a 5-year-old boy, so this kid is 4" taller than average for his height. He's 1.25" taller than the average 6-year-old boy and just an inch shy of the average height for a 7-year-old boy.

You can find average heights and weights for children here.

 

[feyya]

hes horrible

 

[anchorsteamer]

At the very least, this kid is going to get a free education. QUOTE]

How is he getting a free education again?

 

[anchorsteamer]

Javsilvatennis,

I am truly amazed by your kid's ability and even more by your family's dedication. Hopefully he will be the next world number 1. I would be really interested to hear how he got started at such an early age.

p.s. Can I get an autograph of the next king of tennis?

Don't encourage...please...don't encourage...the kid has a much better chance of managing mcdonalds then making it in tennis...it's nothing against the kid...it's a global sport and what you do at 5...8...11...13 doesn't matter...at this age all it's doing is multiplying the chances of burnout and putting way too much pressure on a kid...terrible...I hope it works out for the kids sake but just terrible...

 

[LuckyR]

The kid has good strokes for his age, no doubt about it. However, everyone on the tour (even those who barely scrape a living) have great strokes. What makes a successful Pro isn't strokes. It is way too early to tell if this (or any other 5 year old) kid has what it takes to be a successful Pro.

 

[Ambivalent]

I am Jan Silva's father. I read these post from time to time and feel compelled to clear a few things up. We sold our home in California and moved to France to give our sons an opportuntiy that I think only comes around once in a lifetime. We have jobs with the Academy with retirement benefits and salaries that match what we were making in America. I have become defensive on these post when people say things like how crazy we are. Granitechief has posted on here and said how we wont allow Jan to play with a kid from a neighboring club who we dont know from a can of paint. If you have a kid, and someone you dont know comes up to you and starts telling you how your kid needs to meet and play with their kid how would you react??? People on here whom dont know us call us crazy tennis parents and I think we are normal. My sons do not cheat when they play. My older son recieved the boys Sportsmanship award at the USTA Pacific Zonals going 4-1. What Granitechief failed to mention was Kadyn played the Zonals in AZ, 5 days of singles and doubles then flew to Sacramento on monday got off the plane and went directly to the court where he won his first round match then lost to the Number 1 ranked player in NorCal. Kadyn has been away from Tennis for 2 years. The French Academy is taking care of Kadyn for only the past two months. In that time after not playing too much he has won 3 boys 12's tournaments 1 boys 14's challenger and taken 3rd in a couple of others. Vic Braden thinks Kadyn is going to shock the world. Granitechief the Don King of tennis keep trying to play matchmaker for 5 and almost 7 year olds. If there is anything that you want to know just ask...

You make me sick, not the fact that you pretty much forced your sons into tennis at such an early age. (I doubt he woke up at the age of 3 and said HEY DAD LEMME PLAY TENNIS, 1hbh too please!), but rather the fact that you seem to be using them to...how shall i put this...show off. Yes, they're very talented, but right now isnt an age that matters. Shut up about it and when they DO turn pro, come here and brag a little.

 

[mrHan]

Don't encourage...please...don't encourage...the kid has a much better chance of managing mcdonalds then making it in tennis...it's nothing against the kid...it's a global sport and what you do at 5...8...11...13 doesn't matter...at this age all it's doing is multiplying the chances of burnout and putting way too much pressure on a kid...terrible...I hope it works out for the kids sake but just terrible...

I jolly well do what I want. I merely stated my honest opinion and I think it is great. And as my honest goes for you, please get some help before you slit your own wrist. All your negativity makes you sound like one of those EMO kids.

 

[anchorsteamer]

I jolly well do what I want. I merely stated my honest opinion and I think it is great. And as my honest goes for you, please get some help before you slit your own wrist. All your negativity makes you sound like one of those EMO kids.

Haha...Dont worry about me mate...life is good...worry about this little kid who for some crazy reason you seem to think his parents are doing something good for. To be encouraging a 5 year old in a sport, to the point of selling your home, moving countries and writing ridiculous posts under his name on a message board is terrible...you should be ashamed for encouraging

 

[chess9]

Average height for a 2-year-old boy is 36". Average height for a 3-year-old boy is 39". Halfway between is 37.5". It looks like your son is about 0.5" shy of average height.
"Barely"? The kid is 4' tall (48"). He is 11" taller than your son. Is someone who is 6' tall "barely" taller than someone who is 5' 1" tall?

In any event, 44" is average height for a 5-year-old boy, so this kid is 4" taller than average for his height. He's 1.25" taller than the average 6-year-old boy and just an inch shy of the average height for a 7-year-old boy.

You can find average heights and weights for children here.

Yeah, I'm guessing 6'1" to 6'3" tall, eventually. That's almost a perfect height for tennis, or a small NBA guard.

-Robert

 

[Andres]

Yeah, I'm guessing 6'1" to 6'3" tall, eventually. That's almost a perfect height for tennis, or a small NBA guard.

-Robert

Actually a 6'3'' PG is somehow tall for the NBA. 6'2'' seems to be perfect, 6'3'' and 6'4'' are on the tall side for point guards. I don't know if there is any pure PG over 6'4' in the league right now

 

[TennisCoachFLA]

I guess I am missing something. We run a program in Florida for 3-6 year olds. Kids that stick with it are in our elite group at 5-6 years old, the same age as Jan Silva.

Out of our 14 elite children, I can say that 5 are much better than Jan, playing a much more powerful, little pro type game. Their strokes are much cleaner, their footwork vastly superior.

I imagine there are hundreds of such programs around the world. For elite 5 and 6 year olds, I don't see how this child is even in the top 25%. I don't get why the need to hype a little boy at all, let alone one that is good but not great.