Nick’s Notes: Bollettieri on the right time to turn pro in tennis

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In memory of Nick Bollettieri, TENNS.com proudly presents “Nick’s Notes,” an exclusive look at tips, tricks, and takes written by one of the greatest coaches of the modern era.

In this column, Bollettieri on the right time to turn pro:

It seems like yesterday when several of my full time students at the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy were turning pro in their teens. Among them were:

1. Jimmy Arias – 1981—age 16—first-year earnings $18,025,
2. Kathleen Horvath—1981—age 15—first-year earnings $51,768
3. Carling Bassett—1983—age 15—first-year earnings $59,625
4. Aaron Krickstein—1983 age 16—first-year earnings $17,000

Other notable youngsters who turned pro during that same time period were:

1. Kathy Rinaldi—1981—age 14—first-year earnings $35,234
2. Andrea Jaeger—1980—age 14—first0year earnings $220,296

Close your eyes and think of the following matches:

Carling Bassett at 15 (5-foot-6, 120 pounds) versus Serena Williams (age 34, 5-foot-10, 155 pounds). Or think of Kathleen Horvath at 15 (5-foot-6) versus Venus Williams (age 35, 6-foot-2). Or maybe Jimmy Arias at age 16 (5-foot-8, 140 pounds, average first serve 110 MPH) versus John Isner (6-foot-10, 245 pounds, average first serve 135 MPH). Or think of Aaron Krickstein at 16 (5-foot-10) versus Novak Djokovic.

Times have changed. If I were pinned down to one reason, I would say the game has become much more physical. The power and speed of the game has increased dramatically in all of the strokes because of the racquets, strings and physical abilities of the players today. Yes, in the 80s, players had weapons and hit their weapons hard from the middle of the court, but today weapons are hit harder and from every inch of the court. In the 80s, the biggest serves were hit at 120 mph. Today, they are hit at 140-145 mph. Second serves were hit from 75-90 mph. They are now hit from 100-125 mph. Forehands were hit from 75 to 80 mph, and are now hit from 90-100 mph.

In addition, today on the pro tours, because of the power, you cannot have a weakness in your game. Today, you cannot hide a weakness, whether it’s a weak second serve, a weak backhand, poor mobility, or being one-dimensional and only able to play defense or offense only. With the power available in the game today, your weakness will be exposed and capitalized upon.

The depth of the WTA tour and the ATP tour is much greater than in the 80s. When I travel the world and watch tournaments, I can see that there are no free rounds any longer. Every round is competitive, even beginning with the qualies. Players who come through the qualifying rounds often challenge the mainstay tour-level players.

For a teenager to be able to compete with these bigger, stronger, faster professional athletes of today, it’s very, very difficult. The teenager is just not mature enough today physically. And to expose the still-developing teenager to the physical and mental grind of an 11-month professional tour when they are not physically ready, would be create the potential for injury and loss of confidence.

For these reasons, my advice today, unlike my advice in the 80s, is for almost all players to seriously consider college as the next step in their development. Some of the benefits they will receive by attending college, even if for only one to two years, include:

1. A free education which you’ll need after tennis.
2. Time, facilities and expertise to develop your strength, conditioning and mentality for free.
3. Competition against strong competition.
4. The ability to play pro event during the off-season.
5. Time to have the chance to get wild cards into pro events.
6. The majority of all of your expenses are paid by the college or university.

I am not telling you not to be a touring professional, but I’m suggesting that you give considerable thought to the college option. For most players, it’s probably the best option. You must understand that it costs tens of thousands of dollars in travel, coaching, and equipment to try to be a successful touring professional tennis player. It could cost $100,000 to $150,000 per year to compete on the world tour. Without significant sponsorship assistance, you normally have to break and top No. 150 in the world before you start breaking even and have a world ranking of No. 75 to 85 before you start earning a living.

In the 80s when we were encouraging our players to turn pro at early ages, we still advised them to have a world ranking of No. 80 or better before turning pro. Our kids just did it at an early age and we didn’t have a concern about them handling the physical aspects of the professional game and tour. That’s changed today.

Consider all of your options before turning pro. For most, college is the next step towards a professional tennis career.

Good Luck,

Nick