Katie O'Brien

Peter too · Tennis legend

Katie O'Brien

LordBrownof · Futures level

That's a nice little article - quite refreshing. I couldn't help thinking though that if I didn't already know it who it was written by, I would have struggled to have guessed between Katie, Mel and Anne. They've all experienced similar disillusionment recently.

indiana · Tennis legend

A very interesting read, just really hope that things begin to work out for Katie.

Re freelance journalism though, think she's a bit behind Helen Parish's potential

philwrig · Hall of fame

Why is it alot of our top players are considering retirement, we ain't got that many in the first place, from a purely selfish point of view, none of them should retire until the ripe old age of 30.
Playing professional tennis or doing a 'proper job', I know which one I would choose.

steven · Tennis legend

I find myself agreeing with indiana and philwrig on both points each of them makes

However, I imagine that lots of players (not just British ones) question whether to continue or not from time to time when it feels like they are going backwards ... tennis may be a lot more fun than a 'proper job' but it can probably still feel like a very lonely life when things aren't going well, especially if you would be capable of doing other things well too, not least if those things might make you a lot more money.

However, if I was capable of being a world ranked tennis player, I'd carry on for as long as circumstances allowed. You're not going to be too old to have a chance of becoming very successful at something non-sporting (certainly not if you retire from tennis at 30), but if you don't make the most of your sporting potential while you are young, you're never going to get another chance to do that.

Reeltime · Satellite level

My first experience of a professional tennis tournament live was in Glasgow, October 2009. One of the first lines I remember hearing was from Heather's opponent Sfar (that match was the reason I was there!) "I'm getting too old for this!"

Don't know where im going with this argument!

Agree with steven, if you can make a living doing what you love, then it's impossible to walk away. If you cannot justify doing what you are doing then you have to walk away. Ce'st La vi (cant speak french!)

So many of us would give limbs to be where these people are. To be in the Quandary of whether to retire or not would be absolutely amazing!

Go out, have fun, and as long as you can afford it, keep going!

This post makes no sense, I dinnae care!

Osomec · Junior player

It is nonsense to see professional sport as some sort of super-fun privileged existence, that is a more enjoyable alternative to real life. If it is your job, it is a job. And unless one has a very sanguine temperament, I should think that struggling away at low level pro tennis year after year can be a wretched existence. It is completely unstable, the hours and travel are awful, there is little to no glamour, it is hard to make a living, and in reality your chances or making it in an alternative career after tennis begin to reduce at 18, not 30.