This is the third part of a three-series blog on college tennis. The first part, focused on making the college tennis decision, can be found at: https://sportsedtv.com/blog/before-college-the-path-for-success-college-as-a-stepping-stone-part-1-tennis. The second part, discussing the college tennis experience and its benefits, can be found at:https://sportsedtv.com/blog/During-College-the-Path-for-Success-College-as-a-Character-Builder-tennis. This final segment covers the after-college decision – what college tennis players do professionally after their collegiate athletic careers.
After college tennis, the path for success - college as a stepping stone
“Most universities at this level are like Olympic villages, in terms of the training opportunities. You can get really good if you can keep the dream alive.” This comment from Vanderbilt women’s tennis head coach Geoff Macdonald, as reported by the USTA, is a reminder of how college tennis is a fantastic platform for the future. At the same time, completing a career in college tennis presents most college athletes with a complex choice – what’s next for me?
4 different options a tennis player has after college
After college, tennis players have basically four general career options. One can turn professional, continue school in other educational programs, begin a career in some other aspect of tennis or embark upon a completely different professional career path. In this blog post, I will explore each of these alternatives while also sharing some of my own personal experiences as I graduated from the University of Washington in Seattle and evaluated my future.
Profesional Tennis Player After Collegue
For many strong collegiate tennis, turning into professional tennis players and playing on the pro tour is a real option. The success of former college tennis players such as John Isner and Danielle Collins has highlighted the benefit of leveraging college tennis as a platform on which to build a professional tennis career. Participating on tour after four years in college can be a real advantage because you are more developed as a tennis player and person. You have gained experience competing in singles and doubles at a very high level. You have become a stronger athlete, more knowledgeable with regards to nutrition, fitness, psychology, mental, tactical, handling pressure, scheduling, and more mature emotionally to handle the ups and downs of the professional tour.
