The Dark Side of Tennis

ctoth666

Banned
I had an interesting experience yesterday. I attended a coaches conference at the Weymouth Club, just outside of Boston. I drove 75 miles from Connecticut across Massachusetts early in the morning to get there, and at some point, I left my own world and entered another: the world of wealth and privilege. Now, my own standard of living is pretty high as things go, and granted that the area outside of Boston is one of the richest in the country, I still experienced an undeniable divide in class. The Weymouth Club is a city unto itself, with every goddamn accommodation I could conceive of. I have never been in a facility of that scope before, and I was pretty floored.

At some point during the conference, I began to feel a real sense of pessimism and almost an apathy for, well, the culture surrounding tennis. Because this is what tennis is: a sport of privilege. I mean, I've been able to convince myself otherwise because I'm not really in the tennis loop, so to speak, but at this conference I couldn't escape from it. I didn't belong there, and I didn't know what I was doing there. They brought on a group of kids to demonstrate various drills and exercises, who stayed through the whole conference--rich white kids. Rich, spoiled, privileged white kids. That's exactly what they were, and that really got to me. Now I felt good because I could have beaten most of those kids, specifically the girls, who most likely would be going on to play Division I tennis in the next year or so. But not the boys, and as I watched them go through the on-court portion of conference, I realized how we're not even playing the same sport. All of the resources, instruction, and opportunity that these kids have access to, I never had. They're biggest problem in life is deciding which Ivy League school they're going to commit to. And as a junior, these are the sort of kids that phased me out of of competitive tennis. Because I can't compete with that, even if I'm stronger, fitter, and have natural ability. I went from being one of the top-ranked juniors in New England to being almost irrelevant, and through no fault of my own. One of the best examples I feel, is that as a junior, there was this kid I used to play at tournaments quite often. And I always beat him. I out-foxed him, and sometimes the victories were lopsided. We played over a year later, now at 14 or 15 year of age, and he dominated me. I had no chance. He had become a machine. Years later we played again in high school tennis, and I didn't even win a game--my obsoleteness had come full circle.

This is the dark side of tennis. That without exceptional circumstances, most kids don't stand a chance. And this is one of the greatest shortcomings of tennis in the United States, and I dare say that it has been it's undoing. Because no matter how you dress it up, playing tennis is a privilege. Can't say that about most other sports, and that's why they're successful. That's why they draw kids in. If I have children of my own someday, they won't become tennis players, not unless daddy pulls in a small fortune every year. I'll have them pick up another sport. That's why at my school, where I will be coaching, all of the athletes play football or soccer or basketball. They even prefer to wrestle and play lacrosse now. But frankly, I prefer the blue collar world, and I prefer the people, even if the tennis prospects are bleak. But I still love the sport and I always will.
 

newpball

Legend
It is all relative.

What do you think people in the slums of Bangladesh think about your complaints?
 

OTMPut

Hall of Fame
That's not just the US.
Tennis is a privileged sport in most of the world.

At least you have public courts!

In the poorer parts of the world there are no such thing as public courts.
I grew up in India and the first time I saw a tennis court in person was when I was 19 years old. And the first time I had a chance to hit a ball on court was when I was 30 years old.
 

acura9927

Semi-Pro
The other thing that sucks is the sharing of public courts in areas where people try to get 12 months of tennis into a 6 month period cause of crap weather. Cause lets face it people don't follow the 1hr limit for public tennis court use. There are plenty of free courts in Seattle.
I got so tired of the battle I took up biking instead.
 

Rozroz

G.O.A.T.
if you say so about the tennis opportunities in US,
which still give some money to the sport,
then in Israel those chances are nearly 0 %
 

ollinger

G.O.A.T.
The true sports of privilege include things like yachting, polo, squash, all more or less requiring access to private and expensive facilities. To a lesser extent ice hockey requires some privilege, albeit middle class level, to pay for equipment and ice time, similar to the moderate investment required to take up skiing. Tennis in this country is very accessible, with lots of public courts, availability of cheap used equipment, and even some access to inexpensive coaching, though certainly not of the highest caliber. Even at the pro level, plenty of players from Gonzalez to BJ King to Venus and Serena have come out of humble beginnings. Sure, it's not as readily available to most kids as baseball or football but at this point in history I'd hardly call tennis a sport of privilege. Yes, having lots of money to spend on coaching will confer an advantage, but that's true of most any endeavor.
 

LuckyR

Legend
I had an interesting experience yesterday. I attended a coaches conference at the Weymouth Club, just outside of Boston. I drove 75 miles from Connecticut across Massachusetts early in the morning to get there, and at some point, I left my own world and entered another: the world of wealth and privilege. Now, my own standard of living is pretty high as things go, and granted that the area outside of Boston is one of the richest in the country, I still experienced an undeniable divide in class. The Weymouth Club is a city unto itself, with every goddamn accommodation I could conceive of. I have never been in a facility of that scope before, and I was pretty floored.

At some point during the conference, I began to feel a real sense of pessimism and almost an apathy for, well, the culture surrounding tennis. Because this is what tennis is: a sport of privilege. I mean, I've been able to convince myself otherwise because I'm not really in the tennis loop, so to speak, but at this conference I couldn't escape from it. I didn't belong there, and I didn't know what I was doing there. They brought on a group of kids to demonstrate various drills and exercises, who stayed through the whole conference--rich white kids. Rich, spoiled, privileged white kids. That's exactly what they were, and that really got to me. Now I felt good because I could have beaten most of those kids, specifically the girls, who most likely would be going on to play Division I tennis in the next year or so. But not the boys, and as I watched them go through the on-court portion of conference, I realized how we're not even playing the same sport. All of the resources, instruction, and opportunity that these kids have access to, I never had. They're biggest problem in life is deciding which Ivy League school they're going to commit to. And as a junior, these are the sort of kids that phased me out of of competitive tennis. Because I can't compete with that, even if I'm stronger, fitter, and have natural ability. I went from being one of the top-ranked juniors in New England to being almost irrelevant, and through no fault of my own. One of the best examples I feel, is that as a junior, there was this kid I used to play at tournaments quite often. And I always beat him. I out-foxed him, and sometimes the victories were lopsided. We played over a year later, now at 14 or 15 year of age, and he dominated me. I had no chance. He had become a machine. Years later we played again in high school tennis, and I didn't even win a game--my obsoleteness had come full circle.

This is the dark side of tennis. That without exceptional circumstances, most kids don't stand a chance. And this is one of the greatest shortcomings of tennis in the United States, and I dare say that it has been it's undoing. Because no matter how you dress it up, playing tennis is a privilege. Can't say that about most other sports, and that's why they're successful. That's why they draw kids in. If I have children of my own someday, they won't become tennis players, not unless daddy pulls in a small fortune every year. I'll have them pick up another sport. That's why at my school, where I will be coaching, all of the athletes play football or soccer or basketball. They even prefer to wrestle and play lacrosse now. But frankly, I prefer the blue collar world, and I prefer the people, even if the tennis prospects are bleak. But I still love the sport and I always will.

Richard Williams disagrees with you...
 

WildVolley

Legend
In the United States, this is very dependent upon where you live.

For example, there are many communities in California where a home schooled kid could have access to quality public hard courts year round. Even a public school kid might have a shot, though it would be more difficult to get court time.

The coaching is another matter, but I believe that video and the internet is a great leveler when it comes to quality instruction.

Getting good at any sport is a matter of genetics and practice. Tennis has more opportunities for someone from a middle class background to excel than sports such as golf or hockey.
 

sureshs

Bionic Poster
I don't think the current crop of young US pros are necessarily from the kind of ultra-wealthy families that are mentioned in the OP.
 

movdqa

Talk Tennis Guru
I would agree that it's a sport of the well-off but there are a number of area where wealth is a big advantage. The problem that the wealthy face is where the kids take it for granted and squander it (unless it's huge or otherwise managed well).

I've been to a few clubs outside of Boston in wealthy areas and I know what you're talking about. If you want to see the other side, visit The Sportsmen's Tennis Club. It's in a part of Boston that's not so good and I think that there was someone killed on the courts a few weeks before I played a tournament there many, many years ago.

Yes, life isn't fair but you can give up or make the best of what you can do for you and your family.
 

Steady Eddy

Legend
You'd think that would be true, but there are so many counter-examples. The William sisters have been mentioned. I read Jimmy Connors autobiography, and he learned to play on courts in East St. Louis that had metal nets. Pancho Segura grew up poor in Central America. Bobby Riggs learned to play on the public parks in California.

Arthur Ashe didn't come from wealth, but a dentist supported him when they noticed his talent. Also, Agassi's father couldn't afford Bollettieri's Academy, but when Bolletieri saw him play, he let him stay there free.

Martina Navratilova discovered Sharapova in Russia and recommended to her parents that she get professional training, but her parents weren't rich.

More than money, I notice the common thread is that these people had talent and they totally worked their butts off.
 

newpball

Legend
I read Jimmy Connors autobiography, and he learned to play on courts in East St. Louis that had metal nets.
Yes those courts were definitely sub-optimum :twisted:

IMAG0988.jpg


http://stlforgottencourts.blogspot.com/2012/10/stalking-jimmy-connors-bellevue-park.html
 

Bdarb

Hall of Fame
I think wealth equates to average athletes becoming above average tennis players.

When discussing pros, I feel like every case is unique. However the common trait they all have is exceptional athletic ability, a desire to win, and also parents or a figure backing them who cares as much about their gift if not more than they do. If a parent cares that much, they'll figure out the other parts of the equation if the funds aren't there. The aforementioned Richard Williams is a prime example of this.

My tennis coach in college used to teach a clinic with Mats Vilander, Mats said the best thing for his game when he was younger was smashing a ball against a wall, day in and day out. Interesting.

For the most part, I subscribe to what op is saying, not just in a privelaged game like tennis but all modern sport at a high level. Tennis here in Maine, if you want to compete at the state tournament, you are someone who has private training through the winter. Not cheap. Traditional two or three sport athletes can not be competitive at that level. Tennis is a great example of this because it is a skilled game. Kind of like ice hockey. A random above average athlete is not going to compete with someone who has been playing hockey for years, it just won't happen. Who can play hockey forever, generally speaking, people with disposable income or kids of parents who really care about hockey.
 

Bdarb

Hall of Fame
while tennis is expensive to train in other countries as well from what I've learned from foreign players, the op has a point. Tennis is a white collar sport here, which takes away from the talent pool. In other countries, it may be expensive but it is seen as a much more blue collar sport. You always here players like Murray or Federer who had to make a choice, tennis or soccer.

That would be like Lebron choosing basketball or tennis. This just wouldn't happen here.
 

max

Legend
In reality, the OP's point can be made about many, many things.

The "meritocracy" idea is flatulent and a fraud, and always has been. Those with more will surely wish to use their resources to secure more; those with less must struggle.

I live in the *******, and even excellent high school students, with fantastic intellectual abilities, hardly even consider applying to the Ivy League. It's just not done, and. . . what's the hope?
 

Bdarb

Hall of Fame
In reality, the OP's point can be made about many, many things.

The "meritocracy" idea is flatulent and a fraud, and always has been. Those with more will surely wish to use their resources to secure more; those with less must struggle.

I live in the *******, and even excellent high school students, with fantastic intellectual abilities, hardly even consider applying to the Ivy League. It's just not done, and. . . what's the hope?

This is true. To be fair, for most ivy leagues to go out on a limb with public school students and assume they could maintain the course load is a pretty big chance. The need to prove you could keep up with that kind of academic rigor is a valid argument. The public schools, not all but certainly 99% of them around here, the work they require just is not comparable to what say a prep school requires. If I went from my high school to say Yale, I would have been wayyyyyy over my head. Even though my scores etc. said that I would fit, the kind of work they expect of their students os not what I would have been capable of at that time.

Not the case for everyone, but it's not exactly crazy.

The issue is, no one is ever given a chance to prove they could. Plenty of nimrods however are pushed through based on unachieved merit i.e. family ties, athletic ability etc.

Like you said, it comes down to the have's and have not's. Of which there will always be plenty, just plenty more of the have nots.
 

ollinger

G.O.A.T.
^^ Huh? The majority of Ivy League undergrads are from public schools, currently about 55 percent. While the PERCENTAGE of applicants accepted from private schools is higher, it's a bit silly to suggest public school students don't have a realistic chance for an Ivy.
 

movdqa

Talk Tennis Guru
This is true. To be fair, for most ivy leagues to go out on a limb with public school students and assume they could maintain the course load is a pretty big chance. The need to prove you could keep up with that kind of academic rigor is a valid argument. The public schools, not all but certainly 99% of them around here, the work they require just is not comparable to what say a prep school requires. If I went from my high school to say Yale, I would have been wayyyyyy over my head. Even though my scores etc. said that I would fit, the kind of work they expect of their students os not what I would have been capable of at that time.

Not the case for everyone, but it's not exactly crazy.

The issue is, no one is ever given a chance to prove they could. Plenty of nimrods however are pushed through based on unachieved merit i.e. family ties, athletic ability etc.

Like you said, it comes down to the have's and have not's. Of which there will always be plenty, just plenty more of the have nots.

HYPSM might not be as hard as you think. HYSM have courses available online that you can download, watch and work through problem sets.
 

movdqa

Talk Tennis Guru
I know a family that homeschooled their daughters - they were both math professors and one their daughters represented the US in an international olympiad that the US won. It reminds me of the Williams Sisters story.
 

Bartelby

Bionic Poster
So roughly 50/50 and the percentage of private to public schools is what ... ?



^^ Huh? The majority of Ivy League undergrads are from public schools, currently about 55 percent. While the PERCENTAGE of applicants accepted from private schools is higher, it's a bit silly to suggest public school students don't have a realistic chance for an Ivy.
 

Bartelby

Bionic Poster
The meritocratic idea was one of the fifties and sixties, and was indeed more a matter of hope than reality, but there were attempts to realize it.

Now the oligarchical idea is paramount and there are fewer attempts made to make societies more meritocratic in the way it functions.

I looked at the number of places actually available at undergraduate level in the Ivy League at one time, and it is extremely small.



In reality, the OP's point can be made about many, many things.

The "meritocracy" idea is flatulent and a fraud, and always has been. Those with more will surely wish to use their resources to secure more; those with less must struggle.

I live in the *******, and even excellent high school students, with fantastic intellectual abilities, hardly even consider applying to the Ivy League. It's just not done, and. . . what's the hope?
 

Ronaldo

Bionic Poster
while tennis is expensive to train in other countries as well from what I've learned from foreign players, the op has a point. Tennis is a white collar sport here, which takes away from the talent pool. In other countries, it may be expensive but it is seen as a much more blue collar sport. You always here players like Murray or Federer who had to make a choice, tennis or soccer.

That would be like Lebron choosing basketball or tennis. This just wouldn't happen here.

Wonder if Yannick was involved with Joakim Noah whether he would play tennis instead of basketball?
 

Bdarb

Hall of Fame
^^ Huh? The majority of Ivy League undergrads are from public schools, currently about 55 percent. While the PERCENTAGE of applicants accepted from private schools is higher, it's a bit silly to suggest public school students don't have a realistic chance for an Ivy.

I guess Im just speaking for the case of students around here. A very tiny portion of public school kids around here go ivy.
 

Bartelby

Bionic Poster
Yes, and the fact is that the person who gave the 50/50 figure knew full well that such a figure only makes sense if the percentage of private to public schools is given at the same time.

Moreover, there can be public schools in many countries which almost rival private schools and they usually supply the candidates for the best universities.


exactly.


..........
 

OTMPut

Hall of Fame
while tennis is expensive to train in other countries as well from what I've learned from foreign players, the op has a point. Tennis is a white collar sport here, which takes away from the talent pool. In other countries, it may be expensive but it is seen as a much more blue collar sport. .

May be true for select western european countries.

Tennis is as white collar as a sport can get in anyother part of the world.
 

OTMPut

Hall of Fame
What is this obsession with Ivy League schools? Most ppl that go to those schools aren't anything special, just above average kids and really hard working. More importantly, going to an Ivy doesn't automatically equal riches and success.

This guy sees college as being a waste of time for a lot of students:

http://chronicle.com/article/Thiel-Fellowship-Pays-24/127622/

This guy articulates it more comprehensively.

http://www.jamesaltucher.com/2011/01/8-alternatives-to-college/

http://www.jamesaltucher.com/2011/01/10-more-reasons-why-parents-should-not-send-their-kids-to-college/

http://www.jamesaltucher.com/2010/02/dont-send-your-kids-to-college/
 

Bdarb

Hall of Fame
May be true for select western european countries.

Tennis is as white collar as a sport can get in anyother part of the world.

Agreed. Still a butt ton of quality European tennis players. They're doing something right if you look at Div I II and III tennis.
 

max

Legend
Russ Douthat wrote a great book about his time at Harvard; I recommend it for some insight into what that life's like in relatively recent times.

Some personal anecdotes.

I went to a ******* high school, small town deal, sized about 950 students, nothing special. One kid in my class joked about applying to H but never did; expensive, far away, and unlikely to get in, why waste the money to apply?

I understand that in recent years a graduate of my HS has attended Harvard, which stunned the whole region of several counties and is still a bit of an eye-rubber. Wow.

My wife knows of a young black girl with a solid B or so average who was accepted full ride at Harvard, but declined so she could stay in the area with an ailing mother. That's life for ya.

In my own experience, i didn't run into a harvard grad until I was in grad school, and, disconcertingly, came to believe she was a notch lower than me intellectually. . . and I don't consider myself Grand Stuff. Life's like that.

Bartleby the Scrivener is right to point out that we're in an economic oligarchy. . . and politically we're still struggling to make sense of it socially. I'd prefer it wasn't so.
 

Stanimal

Rookie
Yeah. There's no denying the country club kids are going to have backyard courts, Babolats, and probably some real fine teaching. It's always going to be big money making more big money. A guy who didn't get quality youth training, has to go 2-3-5 miles to a court, and can't afford the best sticks or lessons is always gonna be at a big disadvantage, but it's not impossible and I hope all the best for those that struggle.
 

Stanimal

Rookie
Tennis academies that really set the course for college or the show circuits give their players full immersion, quality instruction, and views by people looking to fast-track high-level prospects. Hard to provide all that without a lot of green.
 

WildVolley

Legend
If I read the OP's rant in a sympathetic light, then I guess it can be shortened to saying if you have been gifted with exceptional genetics, it probably makes more sense to focus on sports that are less technique based, such as track and field or sports where little equipment or facilities are needed to develop technique, such as basketball.

However, the average good athlete still is going to have almost no chance of doing Division 1 sprinting unless he was gifted with a lot of fast twitch muscle fibers at birth. Very few people are going to be able to get Division 1 scholarships in any sport, regardless of whether the sport is blue collar or white collar.
 

Bdarb

Hall of Fame
Tennis academies that really set the course for college or the show circuits give their players full immersion, quality instruction, and views by people looking to fast-track high-level prospects. Hard to provide all that without a lot of green.

true of any sport but very true of the skilled sports like tennis, hockey, golf.

I feel like football is pretty straightforward. Run faster, catch better, jump higher etc.
 

Bartelby

Bionic Poster
As if you never ranted ...



If I read the OP's rant in a sympathetic light, then I guess it can be shortened to saying if you have been gifted with exceptional genetics, it probably makes more sense to focus on sports that are less technique based, such as track and field or sports where little equipment or facilities are needed to develop technique, such as basketball.

However, the average good athlete still is going to have almost no chance of doing Division 1 sprinting unless he was gifted with a lot of fast twitch muscle fibers at birth. Very few people are going to be able to get Division 1 scholarships in any sport, regardless of whether the sport is blue collar or white collar.
 

Bdarb

Hall of Fame
If I read the OP's rant in a sympathetic light, then I guess it can be shortened to saying if you have been gifted with exceptional genetics, it probably makes more sense to focus on sports that are less technique based, such as track and field or sports where little equipment or facilities are needed to develop technique, such as basketball.

However, the average good athlete still is going to have almost no chance of doing Division 1 sprinting unless he was gifted with a lot of fast twitch muscle fibers at birth. Very few people are going to be able to get Division 1 scholarships in any sport, regardless of whether the sport is blue collar or white collar.


mmmm no... I think he meant that said athlete will not go DI unless said athlete has ample financial opportunity from early on in life, and this financial support is especially necessary in tennis and other skilled sports. His entire post was basically about the oligarchy in our country (world) and how it relates to sport i.e. tennis.
 

WildVolley

Legend
mmmm no... I think he meant that said athlete will not go DI unless said athlete has ample financial opportunity from early on in life, and this financial support is especially necessary in tennis and other skilled sports. His entire post was basically about the oligarchy in our country (world) and how it relates to sport i.e. tennis.

You seem to be making the same point I'm making. I'm not sure what you're disagreeing with?:confused:

I was just pointing out that your child will probably not get a Division 1 scholarship for many other sports (non-tennis) unless he is genetically gifted. The most blatant example of this I could think of was sprinting. Sprinters are mostly born, not made. This largely holds true also for basketball as height plays a major roll. There are millions of Filipinos, for instance, who play basketball daily and who have excellent technique and skills, but they'll never have a shot at Div 1 scholarships because they're too short.
 

WildVolley

Legend
The Dark side of Tennis: those who have wealth can get better coaching.

The Dark side of Marathon running: Kenyans from the Kalenjin tribe basically dominate all professional marathons because of their genetics.

The Dark side of Sprinting: sprinters with West African genetics hold all of the world records.

The Dark side of Basketball: Tall people are greatly advantaged in basketball.

The dark side of sports: Sports aren't fair and both nature and nurture play roles.
 

Bdarb

Hall of Fame
The Dark side of Tennis: those who have wealth can get better coaching.

The Dark side of Marathon running: Kenyans from the Kalenjin tribe basically dominate all professional marathons because of their genetics.

The Dark side of Sprinting: sprinters with West African genetics hold all of the world records.

The Dark side of Basketball: Tall people are greatly advantaged in basketball.

The dark side of sports: Sports aren't fair and both nature and nurture play roles.

I must have misunderstood you. Apologies. Either way, yes.
 
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