Tennis World english 38 Tennis World English 38 | Page 32

Fact
or
Fantasy
by
Nick
Bollettieri

Ahhh,
the
life
of
the
professional
tennis
player!
You
dream
that
you
are
earning
a
living
playing
a
sport
that
you
love.
Now,
imagine
being
so
good
that
your
rewards
are
seaside
estates,
Lamborghini’s,
multi-million
dollar
endorsements
and
adoring
fans
all
over
the
world!
Who
could
ask
for
a
more
perfect
situation?

The
facts,
however,
speak
loud
and
clear.
In
all
of
the
individual
and
team
sports
in
the
United
States,
there
are
less
than
5,000
professional
athletes;
people
that
actually
earn
a
living
competing
in
competitive
sports.
That
said,
only
a
small
percentage
of
those
5,000
individuals
reach
super-star
status
and
are
able
to
enjoy
the
lifestyle
mentioned
above.

As
an
amateur
you
graduate
from
local,
to
state
to
national
to
international
tournaments.
Failure
at
any
level
will
hinder
your
quest
for
world
recognition.
But,
success
at
each
level
offers
no
more
than
the
opportunity
to
test
your
skills
against
the
best
players
in
the
higher
categories.

You’ve
trained
locally,
probably
visited
a
training
academy
and
maybe
spent
time
at
a
full-time
sleepover
academy.
You’ve
traveled
to
local
tournaments,
and
if
successful,
you’ve
even
been
invited
to
play
in
national
junior
events.
At
times
you’re
on
the
road
for
holidays
and
maybe
even
for
your
birthday.
Your
family
life
has
been
changed
and,
although
it
might
seem
like
fun
in
the
beginning,
there
will
be
times
when
you
simply
hate
the
game.
It
is
certainly
not
the
“Leave
it
to
Beaver”
family
paradigm.
If
your
parents
aren’t
rich,
they
might
have
to
take
out
a
mortgage
(or
a
second
mortgage)
on
the
family
home
to
provide
this

opportunity
for
you.

Being
in
the
business
of
teaching
tennis
for
nearly
60
years,
I
have
experienced
the
endless
travel,
the
seemingly
endless
training,
the
laughter
and
the
tears
of
the
aspiring
tennis
player.
I
know
just
how
lonely
transitioning
from
one
level
of
the

Private
coaching,
travel
and
hotels
required
to
become
a
nationally
ranked
player
can
cost
between
$80,000
and
150,000
per
year.
The
average
American
family
earns
$53,000
annually,
so
you
can
imagine
the
immense
sacrifice
that
your
parents
are
making.
If
you
are
a
young
lady,
one
of
your
parents
often
accompanies
you
to
these
tournaments.
Another
expense!
And,
by
the
way,
the
unfortunate
and
unexpected
consequence
of
this
family
support
is
that
other
siblings
are
often
neglected
in
the
process.

Along
the
way,
if
you
have
succeeded
in
the
various
levels
of
the
amateur
ranks,
you
are
faced
with
two
options:

1. Colleg