Blog - Former DI college player trying to go pro.
- Thread starter TW Staff
- Start date
TonLars
Professional
Looks like Andy has lost a couple times to George Jecminek this summer. I played George in a tournament last spring, won in straight sets pretty close. Gotta be such a tough grind playing those futures and not winning money to cover the travel, but hopefully he is enjoying playing alot of good tennis.
TW Staff
Administrator
Wow. Talk about how tough it is to be a tennis pro! You'd make more working at McDonald's and at least after a few years you might make assistant manager. The public only really sees the top handful of players who make money while the rest toil in obscure poverty.
In Andy's "most successful weekend" (quote from July 12 blog), he finished second in Open singles and won the Open men's doubles in the Nike Championships. A well-sponsored large event. How much did the hours of playing net him? $660 for second in the singles and $360 ($720 per team) for the doubles victory. With all the travel, eating, etc. no wonder the poor guy has to stay at people's houses along the way just to try and scrape by. $1020 before expenses from your best weekend, how many other weekends were negative after expenses? He's certainly not saving any money? What do you do when you "retire" at 35 with no money and no experience for a real job - teach tennis private lessons I guess? This should be a good advertisement for stay in school, get a real job, and spend your time to "go pro" in your regular job - you'll have more $$, more success, and can play tennis for fun on the weekends too!
jakemcclain32
Banned
No it doesn't aurelius. Not even close.
Stay in school, get a real job, and doing all that stuff is for certain people, but there's a certain person(including me and other friends) who just can't operate that way. We need a challenge, and something to push us all the time. Very few jobs will ever do that.
You want to know what this guy has done?
Gone to Thailand twice, and seen all of the landscape
Been pretty much all over the United States
Walked Crater Lake, which is the cleanest, and deepest, lake in the world. It's like looking at glass.
Been on road trip after road trip with a variety of friends, having different stories in the memory bank along the way.
Received ATP points, which less than .000000001% of players have ever done.
Been to Laos and toured the country.
Been to Taiwan and traveled the country
You telling me just sitting at a desk, or having a job, is more satisfying? I've never made more than $30,000 a year in my lifetime myself, but I've got stories of my own.
Some of us are just a different breed of animal. If any of this works at all, we'll destroy any money that a job will ever get us in our lifetime. If it doesn't, and we have to find something else to do? Oh well, if we die tomorrow, our lives have been worth it.
I understand Andy's motive. We have one life...why waste it?
Stay in school, get a real job, and doing all that stuff is for certain people, but there's a certain person(including me and other friends) who just can't operate that way. We need a challenge, and something to push us all the time. Very few jobs will ever do that.
You want to know what this guy has done?
Gone to Thailand twice, and seen all of the landscape
Been pretty much all over the United States
Walked Crater Lake, which is the cleanest, and deepest, lake in the world. It's like looking at glass.
Been on road trip after road trip with a variety of friends, having different stories in the memory bank along the way.
Received ATP points, which less than .000000001% of players have ever done.
Been to Laos and toured the country.
Been to Taiwan and traveled the country
You telling me just sitting at a desk, or having a job, is more satisfying? I've never made more than $30,000 a year in my lifetime myself, but I've got stories of my own.
Some of us are just a different breed of animal. If any of this works at all, we'll destroy any money that a job will ever get us in our lifetime. If it doesn't, and we have to find something else to do? Oh well, if we die tomorrow, our lives have been worth it.
I understand Andy's motive. We have one life...why waste it?
jakemcclain32
Banned
Exactly my point.
All I was saying was that it's usually a bonus if we financially prosper(and that's what we're ALL going for, don't get me wrong), but if that somehow didn't happen, we didn't waste a second of our lives.
Power Player
Bionic Poster
Jake, great posts man.
I hate hearing the same conservative mindset all the time. There are many ways to live life that can be quite rewarding outside of working in a box.
I hate hearing the same conservative mindset all the time. There are many ways to live life that can be quite rewarding outside of working in a box.
TW Staff
Administrator
Andy takes a much needed break from tournament play. Check out what he did on his 3 day vacation.
http://bit.ly/pgFSQP
Jason, TW
http://bit.ly/pgFSQP
Jason, TW
jakemcclain32
Banned
http://blog.tenniswarehouse.com/category/andys-tennis-travels/
Andy finishes his tennis travels in the Pacific Northwest.
Andy finishes his tennis travels in the Pacific Northwest.
I think the main thing is to get the college scholarship, and graduate. That's worth, what, $250K or so right there with tuition, room, and board. Then a 2-3 years on tour trying to make it, if not, go to your fallback, get a job and go from there.
Starting off a career at 25 with a college degree is much different than starting at 35 with no degree and no prospects.
I know a degree is no guarantee, especially in today's economy, but it gives you a big leg up. I don't know if Andy finished college, but I hope he did.
jakemcclain32
Banned
I have a degree...in communications to be exact.
It can give you a leg up, but in this economy, you never ever know if they lay you off, and you have nothing but failed prospects and interviews.
It's why I live the way I do. I just let the chips fall where they may and find my path. Less stress in this tough world.
It can give you a leg up, but in this economy, you never ever know if they lay you off, and you have nothing but failed prospects and interviews.
It's why I live the way I do. I just let the chips fall where they may and find my path. Less stress in this tough world.
accidental
Hall of Fame
Yeah that sounds like way more fun than travelling the world living your dreams.
Anyway I just noticed Andy is entered in some futures in Argentina in the next few months, so i guess he has decided to continue on?
TW Staff
Administrator
"Now my life is at a crossroads, as I make a decision regarding my tennis career... a major concern for any “minor league” tennis player is his finances, and right now I’m struggling to figure out a way to fund another year on the circuit. In the coming weeks I’ll be making a decision whether to keep going, take a brief break and start up again later, or stop altogether.
This just shows you how brutal it is out there for 99.9% of pro tennis players. There's just no way to make it on the circuit without serious financing.
Best of luck Andy.
This just shows you how brutal it is out there for 99.9% of pro tennis players. There's just no way to make it on the circuit without serious financing.
Best of luck Andy.
TW Staff
Administrator
Andy Gerst writes his final blog for us. We'd like to thank Andy for all his hard work and wish him the best of luck as the new assistant coach for the Florida State Seminoles Men's Tennis team.
Check out the final blog: http://bit.ly/nVmL3l
Jason, TW
Check out the final blog: http://bit.ly/nVmL3l
Jason, TW
Power Player
Bionic Poster
Wow..Awesome!! Go Noles!!!
That is really great. I used those courts now and then as a student - right next to Leach Center.
That is really great. I used those courts now and then as a student - right next to Leach Center.
accidental
Hall of Fame
damn, kinda sad that he has to stop because of a lack of funds. He did pretty well getting those points, he probably could have found himself in the top 500-300 or even higher, who knows, with another couple of solid years
jakemcclain32
Banned
As he says, it's not over yet. He'll coach a year and see what happens.
accidental
Hall of Fame
yeah but even if he does that he will be starting from scratch.
Instead of building on a solid year of tough match play he will go back to practicing with players who probably arent quite as tough as he's been used to recently.
he will lose a whole year of momentum, thats an eternity for low ranked pros
Power Player
Bionic Poster
Guys, ill be honest..being a tennis pro in Tallahassee on that campus and around that type of "talent" every day is a highly enjoyable experience.
Personally I feel like he won the lottery. lol.
Personally I feel like he won the lottery. lol.
jakemcclain32
Banned
And even if he never comes back...he has lived a dream.
He got to travel the world, seeing all the sights, and playing tennis. Very few of us get that honor.
Good luck to him in his next journey.
He got to travel the world, seeing all the sights, and playing tennis. Very few of us get that honor.
Good luck to him in his next journey.
darrinbaker00
Professional
He'll coach for a year, start to like the steady income, coach for another year, start to REALLY like the steady income, get offered a head coaching job somewhere, and LOVE the larger steady income. That's how I see it, anyway. Good luck, Andy.
maggmaster
Hall of Fame
And be able to continue playing opens until he doesn't feel like it any more and make a living in tennis.
equinox
Hall of Fame
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