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[CANTGETENOUGHTENNIS!]

Hi,
As a 14 year old tennis player who's family is middle class,I know I will never have the money to go to a tennis academy, skip school and travel every week to play in national and sectional tournaments, or even hit with coaches 2 or 3 days a week, but I do know I will do everything I can to be A successful professional player. I think that tennis is the best thing in the world and I absolutely adore it and pour my heart and soul into everything involved with it. I don't have a national ranking,I don't have 3 racquets that get restrung every week,but I do have a racquet, a court, some balls(no pun intended), family, and friends. I hope that someday nick bollitieri will take whatever shoved up his stuck up ass and realize that kids like me are everywhere, kids who have the love for the sport, the drive, the humbleness, and the talent needed to be a top player. I love tennis and i hope that the racquet companies and the academies and the coaches recognize us and propel us on our way to having success, not focusing on making money off of the rich kids who have the resource that we don't. That's all I wanted to say and thanks for listening

 

[Power Player]

I agree...and I would say keep playing your butt off, enter local tournies and network...you never know what can happen.

 

[SoBad]

If you're not good enough for a national ranking and have no money to attend an academy with kids who are good enough for a national ranking, then nobody is interested, sorry.

 

[CANTGETENOUGHTENNIS!]

Sobad I'm not saying I don't have the talent needed, I've seen videos of top players and I think I could compete and by the way devvarman huey lost,jerk.

 

[kingdaddy41788]

There are a few coaches who would take you on "scholarship" (free) as they call it. Reach out to them and show them what you've got, but realistically you should accept that it may not happen. But do what you can to get as good as you can.

 

[SoBad]

Look you can call me names all you want, but it’s the truth. Beat everyone locally, and you’ll move up in the world. Talent is nice but it’s subjective, so you need the results.

Thanks for spoiling the doubles for me. Anyway, I am rooting for Youzhny/Stakhovsky now, so…

 

[warmsurfing]

Sobad I'm not saying I don't have the talent needed, I've seen videos of top players and I think I could compete and by the way devvarman huey lost,jerk.

I have a daughter she is 12.She has been playing for 6 years.
She has a lot of compliments.
But,I doubt if she has the talents to be a pro.
Do you know I have to invest a lot of money and time on her ?

 

[rptennis]

Hey CGET

I think SoBad is right even though his first message probably was a little harsh! You have a great point but at the end of everyday, it is the result that will take you places. I know of a girl who started tennis at age 6 with my daughter in the same tennis class. The girl trained in a public park with a ball machine with no academies or sponsorships. Now the girl is 15 years old and is ranked in the top 50 in the world as a junior. She is currently playing and winning in the US Open Jrs. She has traveled the world playing tennis on someone else's dime.

So stories like yours and like hers can happen but you need the talent, the hard work and the results to back up your love for the game. Oh btw, I spoke to her dad last April and they are still at the same public park with the same ball machine - still no high paying academy for her.

 

[jkang909]

youre not so humble if youre posting this on a tennis forum

 

[tennis5]

Tennis is a great sport and you seem to be very passionate about it!

There are opportunities out there even without a ton of money.

1) You are probably entering high school.
Does your school have a tennis team?
Most schools ( during the season) practice every day after school and compete against other schools.
Maybe you can be one of the single players or start out as a double player.

2) Try to organize hitting sessions with other tennis friends.

3) Enter local tournaments.
You said you come from a middle class family,
so unfortunately you probably won't qualify for any financial aid to be exempt from the tournament fees.

4) Make friends with the other kids at the tournament, and see if you can share rides to the tournament.

5) Have fun.

 

[NLBwell]

1) make sure your strokes are fundamentally correct - most important. Everyone's strokes should be different in their own way (stances, swingpaths, etc.), but the fundamentals are the same, starting from the legs and core.
2) hit the backboard for an hour or two every day.
3) practice hundreds of serves every day.
4) play as much as you can - against anyone who will hit with you - if they are worse than you, focus on working on specific weaknesses.
5) if you feel tired or burnt out, take a day or two off.

In a year, you will be one of the best players in your high school. In another year, you could be a competitive junior tennis player. After that, things other than just hitting the ball best start to determine how far you can go (mental strength, strategic mind, innate talent, etc.).

 

[CANTGETENOUGHTENNIS!]

Jkang:I just wanted to share my story
Sobad:sorry I knew what you were trying to say I just overreacted,oh and sorry for spoiling.
Everyone else:thanks for your suggestions and help, I really appreciate it.

 

[BMC9670]

Jkang:I just wanted to share my story
Sobad:sorry I knew what you were trying to say I just overreacted,oh and sorry for spoiling.
Everyone else:thanks for your suggestions and help, I really appreciate it.

You sound like you have passion and also see reality for what it is. That's great. Don't listen to the negative. We all have to do the best with what we have, and if you do it with enough vigor, passion, and focus, it can lead to more.

 

[Power Player]

Also, you have the internet..film yourself..use Tennisrecruiting..that is the obvious no brainer.

Buy a cheap mini HD cam and have your parents or a friend film you hitting and starting getting a reel going. Also dominate your high school team. The word spreads if you are good...trust me.

 

[tacoben]

Tennis is a great sport and something you'll likely play the rest of your life. You're only 14 and who knows were you'll be in 4 years..if you put in a lot of work, there is College tennis, even pro tennis at the Challenger level (semi-pro). I know of a boy locally, who picked up the racquet at your age, worked his butt off the next four years, ended up playing #1 for his HS, and will be playing at a DIII school in the mid west this fall. And when you have a kid someday, you can pass on the passion and end up being a "crazy tennis dad" .
;-)..like a lot of us who post here on the forum.

 

[Soianka]

Hi,
As a 14 year old tennis player who's family is middle class,I know I will never have the money to go to a tennis academy, skip school and travel every week to play in national and sectional tournaments, or even hit with coaches 2 or 3 days a week, but I do know I will do everything I can to be A successful professional player. I think that tennis is the best thing in the world and I absolutely adore it and pour my heart and soul into everything involved with it. I don't have a national ranking,I don't have 3 racquets that get restrung every week,but I do have a racquet, a court, some balls(no pun intended), family, and friends. I hope that someday nick bollitieri will take whatever shoved up his stuck up ass and realize that kids like me are everywhere, kids who have the love for the sport, the drive, the humbleness, and the talent needed to be a top player. I love tennis and i hope that the racquet companies and the academies and the coaches recognize us and propel us on our way to having success, not focusing on making money off of the rich kids who have the resource that we don't. That's all I wanted to say and thanks for listening

To get as good as you can possibly be, you need a good coach, which in general will cost a lot of money.

However, you should visit your local tennis academies and talk with some of the pros and see if there are any scholarships or other opportunities for you such as working for them to defray some of the costs of the lessons, etc.

 

[SStrikerR]

I've seen videos of top players and I think I could compete.

This leads me to believe you're just watching it on tv, and not really understanding the speed of the game. If you think you could compete at 14, well, it says something.


If you want help though, you should post a video of yourself hitting or playing someone else, so they can see how your game is.

 

[CANTGETENOUGHTENNIS!]

Not talking about professional,talking about juniors, and I know how fast a forehand or serve coming from one of them is, trust me I'm not trying to be cocky or anything like that saying that I can compete with them, I'm just trying to give my honest opinion.

 

[SoBad]

Jkang:I just wanted to share my story
Sobad:sorry I knew what you were trying to say I just overreacted,oh and sorry for spoiling.
Everyone else:thanks for your suggestions and help, I really appreciate it.

No worries mate, I know I was rather frank. And I really do need a new signature.

 

[Vermillion]

My frail joints teared up after reading the OP. Godspeed, my son.

 

[CANTGETENOUGHTENNIS!]

Thanks guys!! Sobad, I completely agree

 

[George123]

It's not all bad, I started tennis a bit to late to be able to make a career out of it, so I decided to go down the coaching road. I am only seventeen (about to be eighteen) and I am already training for my level 3 coaching qualification. It means I get to play tennis an awful lot, and help teach some exceptional young people as I work at a high performance tennis centre. I myself play at a county/national level, due to hard work and a great coach. So even if your not going to be a pro, its best to keep trying, as being good at tennis and more importantly having the right attitude will open doors for you. Good Luck in what ever you do


P.S
its very satisfying when at 17 your coaching people older than you ;p

George
UK

 

[Tennisstringz]

Come to reality kid. Unless you are 6 foot 5 or have a 130MPH serve or gifted by unbelievable speed, or have African American D-1 college football and basketball physical attributes but can at least serve and rally 20 balls, you will be ignored by any sponsors, and will never develop the game to compete with professionals. Perhaps if you are willing to wait until you develop most of the skills at age 30, you may get to be ranked #1500 in the world, and end up owing more than you made for a year.

 

[Tennisstringz]

To get as good as you can possibly be, you need a good coach, which in general will cost a lot of money.

However, you should visit your local tennis academies and talk with some of the pros and see if there are any scholarships or other opportunities for you such as working for them to defray some of the costs of the lessons, etc.

If you ever find a place like that, tell all of us. I have never come across a coach or program who gave any significant free court time vs high level kids to anybody who wasn't highly ranked in the country or at least section. You are not really getting it for free. You would be expected to play rich kids much worse than you or much younger whose parents are paying the program to provide good hitting for their kids. Your exposure to the kids better than you would be very minimal. No parent wants to be paying an academy to have their kid play a poorer player (both in money and skills) the same age who is getting a free ride.

Having three kids and finding it difficult to afford all the tennis, we got scholarships to local places. All they did was use our kids names to attract players into the programs, and give us crummy rich kids to hit with. Did we ever get the benefits of playing the older, better paying customers? No. Soon after our rankings dropped, we back to paying e;sewhere.

 

[Bash and Crash]

If you ever find a place like that, tell all of us. I have never come across a coach or program who gave any significant free court time vs high level kids to anybody who wasn't highly ranked in the country or at least section. You are not really getting it for free. You would be expected to play rich kids much worse than you or much younger whose parents are paying the program to provide good hitting for their kids. Your exposure to the kids better than you would be very minimal. No parent wants to be paying an academy to have their kid play a poorer player (both in money and skills) the same age who is getting a free ride.

Having three kids and finding it difficult to afford all the tennis, we got scholarships to local places. All they did was use our kids names to attract players into the programs, and give us crummy rich kids to hit with. Did we ever get the benefits of playing the older, better paying customers? No. Soon after our rankings dropped, we back to paying e;sewhere.

Well there are a few coaches out there that may help. I love sparring with high level juniors for free, and work out special pricing(very low for the area) and even free for students that show the desire and drive to be strong tennis players. I really hate the sleazy side of the biz, I have a few high ranked kids that the local academies are trying to recruit since they can't seem to develop their own but claim to be the best around. Unfortunately it is all about marketing and jamming full the classes and milking the parents at many establishments. I just love to see kids learn the game well and become accomplished players too many want to see dollar bills.

 

[gmatheis]

Sobad I'm not saying I don't have the talent needed, I've seen videos of top players and I think I could compete and by the way devvarman huey lost,jerk.

Video makes the ball look way slower than when you're on the court. Many people make the mistake of watching a video and thinking they could beat the person they see.

Play tournaments ... get results ... if you can do that money doesn't matter as someone will foot the bill if you really are good enough.

 

[SoBad]

My frail joints teared up after reading the OP. Godspeed, my son.

How about a nice hot bath with essential relaxing salts and foams? Plus relaxing music and floating candles.

 

[Number1Coach]

Come to reality kid. Unless you are 6 foot 5 or have a 130MPH serve or gifted by unbelievable speed, or have African American D-1 college football and basketball physical attributes but can at least serve and rally 20 balls, you will be ignored by any sponsors, and will never develop the game to compete with professionals. Perhaps if you are willing to wait until you develop most of the skills at age 30, you may get to be ranked #1500 in the world, and end up owing more than you made for a year.

First off being black does not give you any advantage ,being tall can be a curse , if you are 6'2 to 6'4 and are willing to put in the "work" anything is possible. Trust me Kobe would suck at tennis wrong body type "to tall".

 

[Tennis_Bum]

First off being black does not give you any advantage ,being tall can be a curse , if you are 6'2 to 6'4 and are willing to put in the "work" anything is possible. Trust me Kobe would suck at tennis wrong body type "to tall".

I don't think so, I am willing to bet you money if Kobe decided to pursue tennis, he would be pretty damn good at it. He's tall, but do you see his lateral movement on the basketball court? He's super fast. Just keep coaching and hyping your son so that he'll get a wildcard one day instead of doing the grunt work by qualifying to the main event.

 

[ga tennis]

First off being black does not give you any advantage ,being tall can be a curse , if you are 6'2 to 6'4 and are willing to put in the "work" anything is possible. Trust me Kobe would suck at tennis wrong body type "to tall".

Kobe if he had started at 5 had great coaching stayed injury free would easily be top 5 in the world.

 

[Dadof10s]

First off being black does not give you any advantage ,being tall can be a curse , if you are 6'2 to 6'4 and are willing to put in the "work" anything is possible. Trust me Kobe would suck at tennis wrong body type "to tall".

Del Potro is 6'6", Berdych is 6'5", and Isner is 6'9" and they are top 20 professionals. A few of the other top 20 men are 6'4". Kobe is listed at 6'6" on his official NBA page, so I don't think his height would eliminate him from being a good player if he had played tennis instead of basketball.

 

[BMC9670]

Del Potro is 6'6", Berdych is 6'5", and Isner is 6'9" and they are top 20 professionals. A few of the other top 20 men are 6'4". Kobe is listed at 6'6" on his official NBA page, so I don't think his height would eliminate him from being a good player if he had played tennis instead of basketball.

I saw both Delpo and Berdych play up close at the US Open this year, both played much smaller opponents. The big thing that stood out to me was while they "appeared" slower, they have great footwork and incredible reach. Appearing slower was simply a matter of leg turnover - they don't need as much to get to the same place as a 5'10" guy - as long as the anticipation, reaction and first step are there. And they were. Also, both had superior serves than their opponent.

 

[Number1Coach]

Del Potro is 6'6", Berdych is 6'5", and Isner is 6'9" and they are top 20 professionals. A few of the other top 20 men are 6'4". Kobe is listed at 6'6" on his official NBA page, so I don't think his height would eliminate him from being a good player if he had played tennis instead of basketball.

Just wondering how many players over 6'4 have won a grand slam besides Delpotro?

 

[Number1Coach]

I saw both Delpo and Berdych play up close at the US Open this year, both played much smaller opponents. The big thing that stood out to me was while they "appeared" slower, they have great footwork and incredible reach. Appearing slower was simply a matter of leg turnover - they don't need as much to get to the same place as a 5'10" guy - as long as the anticipation, reaction and first step are there. And they were. Also, both had superior serves than their opponent.

You never see tall running back or for the most part guards in basketball are usually on the smaller side of everyone on the court ,, reason being the side to side movement it takes is to much on the taller guys.

Running up and down a basketball court is one thing running side to side one a tennis court is another , good luck to Kobe if he was to ever try.

 

[Bash and Crash]

Just wondering how many players over 6'4 have won a grand slam besides Delpotro?

Del Po, Goran, Stich, Becker(6,3"), not many the 6, 1" looks like a great height. But 6, 4" with better athleticism would be interesting.

 

[TennisCoachFLA]

You never see tall running back or for the most part guards in basketball are usually on the smaller side of everyone on the court ,, reason being the side to side movement it takes is to much on the taller guys.

Running up and down a basketball court is one thing running side to side one a tennis court is another , good luck to Kobe if he was to ever try.

Friend, side to side is all Kobe does when he became defensive player of the year. Many times full court, constantly zig zagging side to side and backwards, as they work their way up the court.

If Isner and Querrey can make a few bucks playing tennis then I think Kobe could too. And this is from a Sixers fan who hates Kobe with a passion.

 

[Number1Coach]

Del Po, Goran, Stich, Becker(6,3"), not many the 6, 1" looks like a great height. But 6, 4" with better athleticism would be interesting.

I agree , the dimensions of the court are can become a major problem for the big guy . Think about a 6'6 guy playing ping pong although he can cover the table well it will be a struggle more then and ease .

John Isner I believe has the toughest and easiest time serving think about how high his toss is going up then he has to slam the ball downward ,lot easier to go up and apply topspin to make the ball suck down into the service box.

 

[Number1Coach]

Friend, side to side is all Kobe does when he became defensive player of the year. Many times full court, constantly zig zagging side to side and backwards, as they work their way up the court.

If Isner and Querrey can make a few bucks playing tennis then I think Kobe could too. And this is from a Sixers fan who hates Kobe with a passion.

I think Kobe would be right about where Isner and Querry are at best, as for running and zigzagging in a space of 6 to 8 feet verse from one singes line to the other is night and day.

 

[TennisCoachFLA]

I think Kobe would be right about where Isner and Querry are at best, as for running and zigzagging in a space of 6 to 8 feet verse from one singes line to the other is night and day.

A tennis court is 27 feet, basketball 50 feet. In tennis most of your side to sides are 8 feet, sideways or slightly diagonal. Backing up, change of directions, just like an NBA guard. When you are pulled wide you basically either cross step or just sprint like heck to get back to the middle. The movements of an NBA guard like Kobe on defense are very similar to a tennis player. Even the split steps to react to sudden changes are similar.

They are not exactly the same movements of course, but neither would Kobe's training have been growing up. He would have trained for the movements in tennis instead of basketball anyway.