Need help reaching the highest level possible in tennis

[Hmgraphite1]

I'm not sure why people can't just play tennis for the joy of competing. These quests to develop their skills to pro levels in adulthood keep showing up and I wonder "why?" Is this important to your ego somehow? Why not accept tennis as a hobby and dedicate yourself to a well rounded life that includes trying to get better at tennis without the masochistic efforts to get to upper echelons.

I never stop trying to improve in the sports I play but at the same time recognize that I have friends and family and job commitments that don't allow me to spend 4 hours a day practicing a single sport. It seems it would be more fun to learn the basics from a coach, work on improving while having fun playing against similar level players and see where it takes you. Being a UTR 11 might be fun until you realize there's no one in your area to play against.

You will very likely be able to get good at tennis (UTR 7-8 level) with a much lesser degree of commitment and will have a good range of opponents to play against and fulfill your competitive needs.

I was thinking the same thing, if i could convince others to be less determined to improve, it would open up more possibilities for me to advance in the ranks further

 

[Dartagnan64]

I was thinking the same thing, if i could convince others to be less determined to improve, it would open up more possibilities for me to advance in the ranks further

There are plenty of people determined to not improve . In fact I think its the majority of players I come across. I'm all for realistic moderation. Try to improve but be balanced about it. The upper echelons come with significant sacrifices and no one in their adult years is going to make a living off tennis.

I sacrificed a lot to become a physician. That was worth it. Putting in the same effort to become a good tennis player that has no money or people to play with seems totally not worth it.

 

[Wise one]

There are plenty of people determined to not improve . In fact I think its the majority of players I come across. I'm all for realistic moderation. Try to improve but be balanced about it. The upper echelons come with significant sacrifices and no one in their adult years is going to make a living off tennis.

I sacrificed a lot to become a physician. That was worth it. Putting in the same effort to become a good tennis player that has no money or people to play with seems totally not worth it.

Yes, this is true, but many could play much better than they do if they put a little effort into it by taking lessons with a solid pro. Some simply change racquets every couple of years (usually using the cheapest or currently most popular string) and try to imitate what they see pros doing, to no avail.

 

[TennisProdigy]

U might be able to reach UTR 16 given enough time and training, give it a shot and see

 

[Hmgraphite1]

There are plenty of people determined to not improve . In fact I think its the majority of players I come across. I'm all for realistic moderation. Try to improve but be balanced about it. The upper echelons come with significant sacrifices and no one in their adult years is going to make a living off tennis.

I sacrificed a lot to become a physician. That was worth it. Putting in the same effort to become a good tennis player that has no money or people to play with seems totally not worth it.

If I get to too high a level, i'll just sandbag and impose my will as required. Probably never going to happen but the journey is the climb is the life and what matters

 

[Kevo]

Not really, 4.5 isn't an easy level to attain. I've hit with a guy who took up tennis in his late 20s who was an elite D1 hockey player. Almost good enough for the NHL, and he played goalie so his hand-eye is off the charts. His wife played college tennis at an Ivy and was top 700 in the world, so he decided to take up tennis. A few years later and he's a 4.5 player. If he trained full-time he could've gotten to 4.5 quicker, but I don't think he could've done it in a year. And he's a terrific athlete.

Did he get a coach? How much time did he put in per week? He did it in 3 years playing how many times per week? I'm not so sure he couldn't have done it in a year, but maybe not. I can say that a person is certainly going to need a lot of coaching time to get there in a year, but I think it's doable if you have a suitable athlete with no constraints on time or money.

 

[TennisDawg]

Have fun with it. You might reach 4.5. Even if you don’t 4.0 is not bad. I would get a good coach if you’re really serious about going 5.0.

 

[Kevo]

4.5 in one year would be much harder to achieve than 6.0 in 10 years. You would have to be super talented and literally play and practice 365 days... Even then it would be remotely improbable.

The difference between 4.5 and 6.0 is the difference between clearly better than average with some talent and some athletic ability, and elite level. You could make 4.5 in a year and never make it to 6. There's just such a big gap between 4.5 and 6.0.

 

[Topspin Shot]

Did he get a coach? How much time did he put in per week? He did it in 3 years playing how many times per week? I'm not so sure he couldn't have done it in a year, but maybe not. I can say that a person is certainly going to need a lot of coaching time to get there in a year, but I think it's doable if you have a suitable athlete with no constraints on time or money.

His wife taught him to play, she's as good a coach and hitting partner as you can get. I have no idea how much time he put into it, but he was playing regularly.

 

[S&V-not_dead_yet]

You can easily reach 4.5 within a couple of months if you have a background in basketball.

I was in the stands watching BB so I have a background [or, rather, I *was* the background] but it took a lot longer than 2 months to get to 4.5!

 

[TennisDawg]

April fools Lol

 

[ScotianTennis]

The difference between 4.5 and 6.0 is the difference between clearly better than average with some talent and some athletic ability, and elite level. You could make 4.5 in a year and never make it to 6. There's just such a big gap between 4.5 and 6.0.

I agree it's a huge gap between 4.5 and 6.0

You can take someone with some athletic ability and make an elite player.

I have never seen anyone make a honest 4.5 player in 1 year. There are literally thousands of players that have made 6.0 in 10 years... (Essentially every pro). All these pros would have taken a few years to get to 4.5 . Do you think Federer started at 8 and by 9 he was a 4.5, I doubt it...

 

[Kevo]

I agree it's a huge gap between 4.5 and 6.0

You can take someone with some athletic ability and make an elite player.

I have never seen anyone make a honest 4.5 player in 1 year. There are literally thousands of players that have made 6.0 in 10 years... (Essentially every pro). All these pros would have taken a few years to get to 4.5 . Do you think Federer started at 8 and by 9 he was a 4.5, I doubt it...

The problem with going back to such a young age is kids are small, so they have a huge disadvantage when comparing their abilities to an adult. I personally have never seen anyone make a serious effort to be a 4.5 in a year. I've seen a 12 yr old girls that would give a 4.5 a challenge and she was practicing daily and had a coach and a 4.5 hitting partner who was like a second coach. I think it could be done. Not saying it would be easy or that anyone could do it, but a strong athletic 27 yr old who is 6'3" would have a darn good shot with a good coach and working at it full time.

 

[pencilcheck]

This is a very general question, which will lead into general answers that might not help you at all.

However, one advice I can give you is that if you work too hard, you will also injure yourself, that is even worse than training and working on it regularly and slowly building up the fundamentals.

Always think about what you are currently doing, is it right to continue? Or is it wrong that you should consider other options? And what other options can you do for?

Keep finding good hitting partners and maybe maybe coach is the surest way to improve.

 

[Keendog]

It's not the level you play at it's about enjoying playing. Obsessions are not fun...