Before planning a future as a professional tennis player for their child, parents should understand that such a career requires serious investment. This is not only daily work and regular training, but also serious finances.
Start of a tennis career: five-year-olds overcome barriers
The average age of beginning tennis players – 4-5 years. Such an early start is necessary for a child who will be able to achieve significant success in sports in the future. Of course, you can start later, but in this case the intensity of preparation will be much higher. It is enough for children to attend 2-3 training sessions weekly. One group lesson usually does not take more than one and a half hours.
This costs up to $200 per month, depending on the level of the coach and the cost of the courts. It is advisable to simultaneously exercise in the pool or at the skating rink. At a young age, such activities replace general physical training, and the skills will be useful in tennis.
It is during the period from five to eight years that it becomes clear how interested the child and his parents are in a professional career. If a little athlete demonstrates good results and is passionate about tennis, then it makes sense to develop his talents. At this stage, individual lessons with a good trainer are necessary. One workout per week will cost 50-60 dollars. By the age of nine, the load will increase.
Tennis education in Europe is much more expensive. According to Maria Sharapova, just renting the courts at the Academy where the Williams sisters trained cost a thousand dollars. The Sanchez-Casal Academy (Barcelona) offers tennis players several programs to choose from. Classes for 3 months will cost about 9 thousand euros. Additionally, an entrance fee and insurance are also paid (+200 euros).
Equipment for tennis players under 8 years old does not require major investments. It is enough to purchase a good racket that is suitable for the child (weight and height are taken into account). It will cost 70-80 dollars. Here you need to add the payment for the stringer (a specialist who tightens the strings). During children's training, the services of a professional will be required no more than once a month.
As a result, from the age of five you need to invest at least $3,500 in the development of a future star.
Further growth: tournament time
Participation in prestigious junior competitions is available to children aged 10 years and older. By this time, the intensity of training increases. You have to do it every day, but the duration remains the same. Closer to 12 years of age, one lesson can last up to three hours. Additionally, the program includes general physical training (1-2 times a week). This training scheme requires more serious expenses: you will have to spend at least a thousand dollars a month. By the age of ten, you need to select a permanent sparring partner, whose services are paid additionally.
Equipment will also become more expensive. The cost of one professional racket can reach 250 dollars. And a tennis player who participates in tournaments needs several of them. After 12 years, you can already count on small bonuses from advertising companies. Some brands provide free tennis equipment to young tennis players who participate in prestigious competitions.
Participation in the tournament – This is an additional investment. From the age of 10-11 you can play in international tournaments, but a minor athlete must have an accompanying person. Most often this is one of the close relatives. Payment for flights, accommodation and meals for two is fully paid by the athlete’s parents. A week's stay in a European city will cost 1200-1300 dollars. But if the declared participant drops out of the competition after the first round, then the costs will be reduced.
At the international level, the Tennis Europe program operates, which supports young promising tennis players. The games do not require an entry fee, and the tournaments offer the opportunity to meet famous figures in the world of tennis. There is also a chance to attract the attention of popular brands that are interested in collaborating with promising athletes. The Swiss chronometer brand Longines annually holds a large-scale tournament for two dozen top tennis players who are under 13 years of age. In this case, the company bears all organizational expenses.
Depending on the number and level of tournaments, an athlete aged 11 and over needs to spend annually from 6 to 18 thousand dollars.
How much does a team cost for a champion?
Tennis players who participate in professional tournaments always travel with their team. This is not only an accompanying person (for minors), but also several specialists who ensure the continuity of the training process. Traditionally, the team includes:
- main coach;
- general physical training trainer;
- sparring partner (optional);
- physiotherapist (massage therapist).
Tennis players who have already demonstrated their capabilities and hope to attract the interest of well-known companies also hire an agent. As a result, 4-5 people travel around the world with the athlete. Their work, flights and accommodation are paid for by the tennis player himself. This is quite an expensive pleasure, costing up to 100 thousand dollars a year. The nuances depend on the player’s age, workload, and number of tournaments.
The costs of forming and paying a team are justified, since working for results requires regular training and serious work.
Expenditures of a professional tennis player
The winner of the junior tournament is not paid any prize money. This is a rule that is strictly followed in the world of tennis. Only a professional who takes part in adult competitions can earn a substantial amount.
The training of many young athletes allows them to compete on equal terms with older competitors, but mentally it is quite difficult. When a fifteen-year-old teenager faces an adult man on the court, it’s not easy to cope with anxiety. It is worth considering that girls are able to achieve good results in sports earlier and qualify for lucrative advertising contracts. Boys develop their skills closer to the age of 20, which is due to physiological characteristics and high competition among male tennis players.
It often happens that an athlete can earn his first money by the age of majority. At this stage, expenses reach impressive proportions, and only wealthy parents can cope with the payments. Alternative – help from sponsors.
Illustrative is the story of Maria Sharapova, whose bills were paid by the International Tennis Federation from the age of 11. A talented girl was noticed as her career took off, and colossal funds were allocated for training and development. Back in 1998, the father of the future first racket asked for 50 thousand dollars to pay for training, but representatives of the federation provided an amount that was twice the stated figure. And such serious investments paid off, since Sharapova was able to become a real star and conquer the tennis Olympus.
Athletes who are just starting their professional careers are forced to independently pay for the work of the team, rent courts, pay a coach, and pay money for participation in tournaments. In this regard, tennis is fundamentally different from team sports, in which all expenses are borne by the club. Only tennis players who regularly take to the courts as part of the Grand Slam tournaments can hope for good fees. These are about one hundred of the world's leading players, in whose careers substantial funds were invested.
The huge fees that athletes receive for participating and winning international tournaments go not only to expensive villas and cars. A tennis player is forced to independently pay for a whole staff of professionals, regularly pay for insurance, and purchase expensive equipment. Costs increase if an athlete gets injured and misses training for several months. In this case, it is possible to recover, but the help of rehabilitation therapists and massage therapists is required.
The sport of tennis has a high risk factor. Adequate funds and regular training with the best specialists do not guarantee a successful career. Even a talented child can eventually drop out of the race, fail to withstand the stress, or break down after a series of failures.