Re college tennis, the rules are that a student is only eligible for a scholarship if they start their uni course within 6 months of graduating from high school or equivalent in a foreign country. That is within 6 months of taking your GCSEs, AS or A levels. The exams cannot be taken later than is normal in your country and there are rules about the number or exams, subjects and grades.
The main difference between US and UK uni tennis is in the number of competitive opportunities - there are just more teams to play against in the US. That for me would be one of the main reasons for looking at college tennis, the other is finance. To travel the world often getting bundled out of tournaments early on with nothing to show for it is hugely expensive and can make for slow progress if you are only getting the odd match here or there.
I don't think it surprising that the LTA want to keep their very best players in-house, they will already have invested so much in them that it's understandable that they want to keep control but we are only talking about one or 2 players a year here and these will be players who probably would not be eligible for uni due to earnings, sponsorship, limited or non-standard education. The sad thing is that the LTA look on any player outside these one or 2 per year as 2nd tier in any event and that probably colours their view of uni tennis.
It is true however that a great majority of college programs are not going to produce professionals but the strong conferences do seem to. George Coupland, Ed Corrie and Sam Murray all moved quite quickly through the lower ranks when they started their careers after their studies. They may have all reached the same point without going to uni but it would probably have taken the same overall length of time and cost a small fortune. As for distractions at college, those that succumb probably don't have the burning desire or single-mindedness needed to make a living as a pro sportsman anyway.
All the best to Lewis in today's semi, he is probably Kent's finest (and indeed Bexley s finest) male tennis player at the moment population 1.7 million. Correct me if I am wrong. My kids old tennis coach is still scarred by being in the same competitions as him as a junior. He would have easily secured a US tennis scholarship on his tennis ability, aka Andrew Watson who he beat in the last round and is about to go. Burt's is arguably better placed than for example than Dan Manlow (Somerset and Tauntons finest) who has just left UAB after a transfer from Wofford (says something about august 31st birthday) and now at 23 playing a few futures in the US, but at 6 ft 5 etc... who knows where he would be if he had had a year playing UK ITF challenger tennis tournaments like this one before he went.
We can sustain an ITF tour in the UK with almost a complete field of indigenous players between 16 and 22 ie that represents the level of elite tennis here which is more than comparable with college tennis, unless the quality is driven up by the influx of more overseas players which the Americans probably won't like I say probably as they are pragmatists and may just claim them as their own.
We are short of being able to sustain a challenger tour field with players 19 and up which is where we need to be and way above the level of all but the very best college players, if the likes of Andy Murray are not to be outliers. The ITF is about developing elite competitive tennis players, the top names Zederev, Garin, Quinzi and Boricwill without exception will be top 50 players in fact one of them may well be dominating mens tennis for a decade or so.
Congratulations to all those at Ilkley for organising such a great week of tennis and all the posts have made it great to watch on line and I am just hoping for some success for the peoples republic of Kent (almost half the population of Croatia, where is that lad Boric is from?)
Just to be clear, I'm not saying going to college is necessarily a better route to becoming a tennis player. However, unless a player has been a high profile junior and got a top sponsorship deal or is one of the LTA's headline players (say Kyle or Tara) it is probably the most practical and affordable way to develop tennis-wise and physically. Fairly dedicated coaching, fitness trainers, physio services, a good match schedule, kit costs etc etc do not come cheap in the real world and result in many players being unable to make it out of the lower levels. At least when you come out of uni, be it after 1, 2, 3 or 4 years you will be able to get through those lower levels quickly and get on with finding out your true potential before you just run out of funds.
-- Edited by The Optimist on Saturday 12th of July 2014 08:36:24 AM
But, Oakland, an ITF tour is not at all a replica or replacement model for college tennis.
An ITF tour gives a variable amount of competitive matches, small ranking points and VERY small pay cheques. Nothing more.
A college programme typically gives (for free) 2-3 hours team tennis coaching per day, 1 1/2 hours physical fitness coaching per day, 2-3 hours individual tennis coaching per week, free access to physios, nutritionists, psyche specialists etc. etc., plus high level team tennis matches i.e. competitive individual matches where you are watched, and coached, by your coach. (And this is just the tennis - ignoring the academic side).
Again, it's not for everyone - probably not for the absolute best juniors who, as of 18, will rise through the senior ranks quite quickly. And not for those who have no academic leaning. But it's no surprise that it sets more and more tennis pro players off on the right foot so that they hit the ground running when they start out at 22, say, rather than 18.
SF: (3) Brydan Klein WR 442 lost to (5) Marcus Daniell (NZL) WR 525 (CH 510 in May) by 3 & 4
SF: Lewis Burton WR 839 beat (4) Neil Pauffley WR 523 by 4 & 4
FINAL: Lewis Burton WR 839 v (5) Marcus Daniell (NZL) WR 525 (CH 510 in May)
H2H 0-1 - Daniell won 2 & 3 in Dublin in 2012
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GB on a shirt, Davis Cup still gleaming, 79 years of hurt, never stopped us dreaming ... 29/11/2015 that dream came true!