Pro tennis offers the most opportunity

[Holdfast44ID]

How many other pro sports other than tennis will allow people to qualify their way into the professional ranks? Hey, if I'm good enough, I can enter a qualifier for an ATP event, get in the main event, etc. However, If I was the best wide receiver in the world, suddenly, and didn't play college ball, etc., what are my chances of playing pro football, etc.? I think there is a better chance to play pro tennis than to be a pro in other sports as everyone gets the chance to prove their abilities. Other pro sports are so selective in nature. The opportunity is there for those with the skills...

Holdfast

 

[obnoxious2]

How about golf.

And as for pro football or basketball. Teams hold tryouts every year. You just have to impress them but running an amazing 40 yards or have a 40 inch vertical.

 

[rockbox]

It offers the least opportunity out of all sports except golf since you need coaching from a very young age to turn pro. Most top pros on the women side go to tennis academies where they play tennis all day and don't do any schoolwork. In other sports like american football and basketball, you can just play in highschool and make it without much professional coaching.

 

[Political Thunder]

It offers the most opportunity, but not most people cant compete against the top athletes without playing against other top athletes at the collegiate level.

In tennis you need tennis academies or a coach.

 

[Defcon]

Flawed analogies above. To get to the top in an individual sport is much harder and takes a lot more dedication and time than team sports.

And golf is not a sport. For some reason everyone in the US seems to believe golfers are athletes. Its a pet peeve of mine.

Most people who are good enough to compete at a world level in sports like tennis, skiing, table tennis etc started when they were very young (5-6) and have been at it their whole lives.

 

[Holdfast44ID]

Have to agree...

Flawed analogies above. To get to the top in an individual sport is much harder and takes a lot more dedication and time than team sports.

And golf is not a sport. For some reason everyone in the US seems to believe golfers are athletes. Its a pet peeve of mine.

Most people who are good enough to compete at a world level in sports like tennis, skiing, table tennis etc started when they were very young (5-6) and have been at it their whole lives.

How much of a workout do you get from three hours of golf compared to tennis? End of argument. If you count golf, I guess we could count pro poker well. It was a lot easier for me to get past 5000 players in a poker tournament than 32 in a tennis tournament. lol.

Getting back to my original post, I'm just saying that, if anyone wanted to go play in the qualilfier for the SAP Open in San Jose, they could. I "don't think" I could simply go joint a tryout for the 49'ers at my whim. IE: You want a shot at the pros? Then no one will deny you the opportunity to play in the tournaments and the cream will rise to the top. That's all I mean...

 

[jmsx521]

...And golf is not a sport. For some reason everyone in the US seems to believe golfers are athletes. Its a pet peeve of mine...

I love this one: I completely agree! Chess as well... and I like chess quite a bit too, but simply sitting on a chair and exercising your brain to the limits does not make it a sport!

 

[autumn_leaf]

lol at chess/golf/poker, i always justified it as anything showed on espn must be a sport. and that should include magic the gathering since they had it on before x_X.

being a top tennis player takes time, it's not like the best tennis player is living under a rock right now... but if anybody's amazing at something they'll get their shot. tennis is average in opportunities to me.

 

[Nadal_Monfils]

They have also had juggling on ESPN, so that is a sport as well.

 

[Holdfast44ID]

OK. Let's look at this differently

If you took a highly talented athletic kid growing up and had the choices of tennis, football, and basketball as "potential" pro sports to eventually go into, what do you think might offer the best for having the chance to "make it?" I'm looking at this from the standpoint that there are athletes who are good enough to play professionally in some sports, but are overlooked due to whatever reason. A properly qualified/talented tennis player cannot be passed on. Pro tennis is not the type of sport where someone can say they didn't make it because a talent scout or team "wasn't interested." You have the opportunity to make it through competition, NOT some form of "selection" that is involved with team sports and a limited number of players allowed on a team. Who wants to compete and feel they have to win some form of popularity contest in order to be "picked" to join a team as opposed to being in more control of one's destiny? Pro tennis offers that more than football, basketball, etc. just due to the nature of the sport (not a team sport). I think I finally expressed my opinion more clearly than the OP.

 

[jrstrat]

Getting back to my original post, I'm just saying that, if anyone wanted to go play in the qualilfier for the SAP Open in San Jose, they could. I "don't think" I

SAP Open in San Jose has open qualification? For most of the smaller ATP tournaments, entries for the main draw cut off with rankings in the low hundreds. Then the qualification rounds have players ranked in the low to high 100 range and usually you have to win 2 or 3 matches and the 4 semifinalists advance to the main draw. I'm not that familiar with the SAP open, are you saying that the SAP has open qualifications and anyone can enter? I could enter with my 4.0 ATP ranking?

If so, nice little gimmick that they have at the SAP Open, no? Has anyone not ranked in the top 1000 advanced to the main draw? I'm guessing no.

Have you seen the movie Invincible? It is based on true story and the Philadelphia Eagles had an open tryout. A guy from the tryouts made the team who never played college football. You can check it out on Wikipidia.

I was thinking about this from another perspective, how many Americans are making a good living, say salaries above 150K in Football vs Tennis? All NFL players make above 150k and there are about 1500 players in the NFL. I think maybe 20 or so Americans currently making above 150K in the ATP tour.

 

[West Coast Ace]

I love this one: I completely agree!

I'll pile on too. Golf is 'competitive recreation' - you play the course, not the other players (except in match play). The ball doesn't move; you can hit it when you're ready (within reason). I also don't respect it since so many of the players are fat - and a few are morbidly obese. I know linemen in US football and some baseball players (David Wells, ex pitcher) are lard*sses - but there aren't many. Don't get me wrong - the players are coordinated and it takes tons of practice to get good (I got down to a 6 handicap - ain't easy).

I would say to the OP - you'd have been right - if you'd posted this in the 80's (and the Internet existed!). There are tons of people chasing very few spots on the tours now - not much opportunity really - almost like playing a lottery...

 

[dcottrill]

And golf is not a sport. For some reason everyone in the US seems to believe golfers are athletes.

You think Tiger Woods isn't an athlete?

 

[herosol]

do you realize how much of a toil a qualifying bracket is?
Everyone is hungry to become a top pro, and it's almost like playing another tournament.

Everyone is undoubtedly good, but the chances are only few for some that actually make it. And it means absolutely nothing if the first person you face in the actual is part of the top 10? An Upset? Maybe. What about the second round?

it's ridiculous.

 

[JW10S]

I believe pro tennis is harder to break into than most professional sports. In team sports you can be a specialist, a defender, a scorer, a blocker, a hitter, a fielder, be fast, be tall, etc. In short a pro team can sign you to fill a specific role or position, not because you are an overall great player. In tennis it's just you, you have to do it all yourself. In pro tennis how much prize money you make is directly related to how you perform. That is not always true in team sports. A player can sign a huge contract on a team and go through a slump or his team can lose every game and he will still get paid that huge salary--in tennis if you lose in qualifying you don't make any money (except for those very few tournaments that have small prize money payouts for qualies). In pro tennis you HAVE to win to get the top prize money--not so in team sports. I believe individual sports like tennis, golf and boxing are in fact harder to break into than team sports--by far.

 

[Kobble]

I have known people who were full scholarship material in football, but were not in scholastics. Their careers suffered tremendously. Never got a shot at the pros. I've been to training camps when I was a kid, and the coaches minds are usually made up before the tryouts. My friend was white, 220 lbs., and ran a legite 4.4 second 40 yard dash, leg pressed over a 1000 for reps, could dunk a basketball, and made all his catches at the tryouts. He was cut. They picked the guy who he had all his catches against. Said they weren't interested in offense. He caught every ball against this guy with a pulled hamstring, and finished in the top half of a race limping. At least tennis is determined by ability.

 

[samprasbackhand]

It's too big of an investment. If you train a lot as a kid and end up being a top level pro, then you'll be ok, but if you're not successful on tour, then what're you gonna do?

 

[FedForGOAT]

You think Tiger Woods isn't an athlete?

That's a good point. But Tiger Woods being a great athlete doesn't make golf a sport. Golf requires great skill, but is not much of a workout. You can tell by the bodies of some top golfers how much of an exercise they get from golfing.

 

[kabob]

How about golf.

Agreed. Golf is definitely the easily the most accessible sport (cost of clubs being the biggest hindrance) as far as entering the pro ranks and there are much more prize money, sponsorships, development programs, etc., than tennis.

 

[kabob]

That's a good point. But Tiger Woods being a great athlete doesn't make golf a sport. Golf requires great skill, but is not much of a workout. You can tell by the bodies of some top golfers how much of an exercise they get from golfing.

John Daly wolfing down cheeseburgers and chain smoking between holes is a great example of this, :lol:

 

[BreakPoint]

Some pro team sports take walk-ons. You just have to try-out with the team, just like trying out for your high-school team. Most get cut and very few walk-ons ever make the team. However, just like in tennis, if you're really good, you have a chance of making the team and being a pro.

 

[BreakPoint]

I put golf in the same category as bowling and billiards. They are games more than sports, and all take more mental concentration than physical exertion.

 

[tennis_hand]

It's too big of an investment. If you train a lot as a kid and end up being a top level pro, then you'll be ok, but if you're not successful on tour, then what're you gonna do?

most people end up being another coach. or a stringer in a small shop. lol..

 

[Holdfast44ID]

SAP Open in San Jose has open qualification? For most of the smaller ATP tournaments, entries for the main draw cut off with rankings in the low hundreds. Then the qualification rounds have players ranked in the low to high 100 range and usually you have to win 2 or 3 matches and the 4 semifinalists advance to the main draw. I'm not that familiar with the SAP open, are you saying that the SAP has open qualifications and anyone can enter? I could enter with my 4.0 ATP ranking?

If so, nice little gimmick that they have at the SAP Open, no? Has anyone not ranked in the top 1000 advanced to the main draw? I'm guessing no.

Have you seen the movie Invincible? It is based on true story and the Philadelphia Eagles had an open tryout. A guy from the tryouts made the team who never played college football. You can check it out on Wikipidia.

I was thinking about this from another perspective, how many Americans are making a good living, say salaries above 150K in Football vs Tennis? All NFL players make above 150k and there are about 1500 players in the NFL. I think maybe 20 or so Americans currently making above 150K in the ATP tour.

Yes. You, with your 4.0 rating can enter the "pre-qualifier" event and, if you are good enough, just win all your matches and then you are in. It has been this way for years, unless they changed things lately. I played in it when it used to be the Transamerica Open...

 

[vandre]

John Daly wolfing down cheeseburgers and chain smoking between holes is a great example of this, :lol:

don't forget the booze...allegedly! :twisted:

 

[Kobble]

Some pro team sports take walk-ons. You just have to try-out with the team, just like trying out for your high-school team. Most get cut and very few walk-ons ever make the team. However, just like in tennis, if you're really good, you have a chance of making the team and being a pro.

In my experience, if you are as good as the guys already on the team, you will be cut. You can be slightly better, and you will get cut. If you are as good as the top 100 in tennis, and play pro tournaments, you are in the top 100.

 

[JRstriker12]

It offers the least opportunity out of all sports except golf since you need coaching from a very young age to turn pro. Most top pros on the women side go to tennis academies where they play tennis all day and don't do any schoolwork. In other sports like american football and basketball, you can just play in highschool and make it without much professional coaching.

Have to disagree with you on the level of coaching etc. in football and basketball. Alot of the kids you see make pro or even college in those sports spend a lot of time in camps getting coached and training in the "off season."

Agreed. Golf is definitely the easily the most accessible sport (cost of clubs being the biggest hindrance) as far as entering the pro ranks and there are much more prize money, sponsorships, development programs, etc., than tennis.

Golf accessible? I can find free lighted courts and practice there as long as I have a racket, balls, and a hitting partner.

How many free driving ranges, golf courses are there? Also, I think golf is just so much more technical than tennis in terms of swing mechanics. We've all seen some good tennis players with strange strokes, but in golf, being off by a fraction of an inch puts the ball in the rough or the water hazard.

I agree with the OP, in that with tennis, it's your ability that determines if you make it to the pros or not. In teams sports, you have to reply on scouts and coaches, who may or may not give you a chance.

With tennis, if you think you are good, you can prove it in real competition since you are the only person to lose out if you are not good enough. With basketball, football, soccer, etc. - those coaches aren't going to give you a chance to "prove it" in a real game because they can't risk losing a game and tons of $$ on some unknown.

Either way, all these sports are insanely hard at the pro level. Playing a gainst a real pro in any sport is not fun, it's almost painful.

 

[Klatu Verata Necktie]

Tennis offers much less work than most team sports.

Baseball teams operate on 40 man rosters. All are well paid, and their work related expenses (travel, coaching, physical therapy) are paid for by the teams.

I heard a quote in regards to tennis that said that if you are not among the top 100 players, you won't earn enough money to survive.

This means that all the available jobs in tennis amount to 2 1/2 baseball teams, not including leagues in other countries such as Japan.

There really aren't many opportunities to make a living in professional competitive tennis.

 

[wangs78]

And golf is not a sport. For some reason everyone in the US seems to believe golfers are athletes. Its a pet peeve of mine.

Word. It baffles me as well when ppl call golf a real sport. Granted I think that Tiger Woods has raised golf's profile as a sport because he actually works on his fitness to be #1, whereas before it was a sport dominated by middle-aged fat guys (no offense if you happen to fall in that category). To be fair, there are some sports played in the Olympics that I think don't belong, either.

 

[simi]

For some reason everyone in the US seems to believe golfers are athletes. Its a pet peeve of mine. (emphasis added)

Not everyone. That's an incorrect assumption and generalization.

 

[jaggy]

I'll pile on too. Golf is 'competitive recreation' - you play the course, not the other players (except in match play). The ball doesn't move; you can hit it when you're ready (within reason). I also don't respect it since so many of the players are fat - and a few are morbidly obese. I know linemen in US football and some baseball players (David Wells, ex pitcher) are lard*sses - but there aren't many. Don't get me wrong - the players are coordinated and it takes tons of practice to get good (I got down to a 6 handicap - ain't easy).

I would say to the OP - you'd have been right - if you'd posted this in the 80's (and the Internet existed!). There are tons of people chasing very few spots on the tours now - not much opportunity really - almost like playing a lottery...

Has a lardass ever played pro tennis? On the women's tour? And golf is not a sport.