âIâve recruited some players where, three or four years later, theyâre not even playing anymore,â says John Roddick, menâs coach at the University of Central Florida. âWhereas if they had gone to college, three or four years later, theyâd be just getting their start.â
Itâs also important to consider just how much the game has changed over the last decade from a physical standpoint. Training in college will pay dividends in the short and long term, particularly in an era where professionals are playingâand in some cases, peakingâin their 30s. Teen prodigies are out; extended careers are in.
âI think itâs changing,â says Michigan womenâs coach Ronni Bernstein about the professional game. âNow at 18, players arenât ready. Itâs different than 20 or 30 years ago, when players were ready to make it at 17 or 18 years old. Itâs so much more physical.â
There will always be exceptions; Stefanos Tsitsipas and Amanda Anisimova didnât step foot on a campus. But for many players with pro-tour ambitions, college tennis should be seen as a necessary part of the process.
Just as the undergraduate experience prepares the next generation of teachers and lawyers for the professional world, so can college tennis.