US College Signings and General College Chat 2023/24

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

US College Signings 2023/24

Strongbow · All-time great

Given the rules in the US they only take the cream i.e. those who would get into uni anyway but are good tennis talents. So probably 20% at most.

Only the very best US college players go on to play pro tennis (10% at most).

I'd like to do some stats about who goes from GB and whether they continue into pro tennis. Don't hold your breath wink

Dannythomas · Lower Club Player

There is an increasing number of players both men and women who go on to play pro tennis. I dont know the exact percentages but Im sure its much higher than it was 10 years ago. Also whether you include doubles players of which there are presently a lot who went to college, whether you include players who left during their college years to go pro and then what you mean by playing pro tennis. Does going pro include those who go on the tour for 1-3 years and then give up because they dont do well enough ? Of course there are large numbers of players who dont go to college and dont make it on the tour. It would be interesting to compare the percentages of those who dont make it by not going to college and those who go on the circuit but dont make it having gone to college first.

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

Dannythomas wrote:
There is an increasing number of players both men and women who go on to play pro tennis. I dont know the exact percentages but Im sure its much higher than it was 10 years ago. Also whether you include doubles players of which there are presently a lot who went to college, whether you include players who left during their college years to go pro and then what you mean by playing pro tennis. Does going pro include those who go on the tour for 1-3 years and then give up because they dont do well enough ? Of course there are large numbers of players who dont go to college and dont make it on the tour. It would be interesting to compare the percentages of those who dont make it by not going to college and those who go on the circuit but dont make it having gone to college first.

Realise it is hard to work out and didnt mean to create a mountain!! Just wondering which route is a) most popular and b) most aligned to success.

If one took the top say 40 British men, women, top 20 doubles for each (so say 120 people) , I wonder how many would have been to college and, if we took the same in say 5 years time, I wonder how that would look.

Not expecting anyone to find out, just musing!

Elegant Point · Satellite level

JonH comes home wrote:

Out of interest, how many players from the UK go down the college route each year. If we took the top 100 of the relevant year group, would it be a high percentage like 50 percent will attend US college, or is it much lower than that?

Not sure how to measure it precisely but not bothered about that, just interested in rough proportions of how many aspirational pro tennis players do it through the US system or how many go from juniors to pros without stopping?

And is there any other route - is it junior to pro or junior to US college or is there some other route out there less well trodden?

Assuming most are captured on page 1 of the college signings and chat for each year and only counting those who went to D1 and discounting those I know who left during the year and adding any I know were missed off

men 2017 -25, 2018- 21, 2019 - 13, 2020 - 16, 2022- 19. So that would be a fair approximation percentage wise if looked at top 100 in the year group ?

-- Edited by Elegant Point on Thursday 3rd of August 2023 03:22:32 PM

Elegant Point · Satellite level

If you like numbers - Odds of a US High School Tennis Player making a College Varsity Roster 2022:

College Tennis Odds 2022: Male Female
Number of US High School Tennis Players 2021-22: 150,323 & 181,578
Number of College Tennis Players (see table below) 9,408 10,314
% of US HS Tennis Players competing at any College Level 4.0% 3.5%
% of US HS Tennis Players Competing at NCAA I Schools 0.6% 0.5%
Odds of a US HS Tennis Player making any College Roster 25:1 28:1
Odds of a US HS Tennis Player making an NCAA I Roster * 155:1 182:1

Foreign Student Participation - Tennis: Men: Women:
% of International Players - NCAA I teams 61% 66%
% of International Players - NCAA II teams 55% 48%
% of International Players - NCAA III teams 10% 9%

scholarshipstats.com/tennis

-- Edited by Elegant Point on Thursday 3rd of August 2023 03:27:52 PM

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

Elegant Point wrote:
JonH comes home wrote:
Out of interest, how many players from the UK go down the college route each year. If we took the top 100 of the relevant year group, would it be a high percentage like 50 percent will attend US college, or is it much lower than that?

Not sure how to measure it precisely but not bothered about that, just interested in rough proportions of how many aspirational pro tennis players do it through the US system or how many go from juniors to pros without stopping?

And is there any other route - is it junior to pro or junior to US college or is there some other route out there less well trodden?
Assuming most are captured on page 1 of the college signings and chat for each year and only counting those who went to D1 and discounting those I know who left during the year and adding any I know were missed off
men 2017 -25, 2018- 21, 2019 - 13, 2020 - 16, 2022- 19. So that would be a fair approximation percentage wise if looked at top 100 in the year group ?

-- Edited by Elegant Point on Thursday 3rd of August 2023 03:22:32 PM

interesting, thanks EP - so maybe 15-20% of each year group in the UK are going to College in the top 100? Or am I misinterpreting that?

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

Elegant Point wrote:
If you like numbers - Odds of a US High School Tennis Player making a College Varsity Roster 2022:

College Tennis Odds 2022: Male Female
Number of US High School Tennis Players 2021-22: 150,323 & 181,578
Number of College Tennis Players (see table below) 9,408 10,314
% of US HS Tennis Players competing at any College Level 4.0% 3.5%
% of US HS Tennis Players Competing at NCAA I Schools 0.6% 0.5%
Odds of a US HS Tennis Player making any College Roster 25:1 28:1
Odds of a US HS Tennis Player making an NCAA I Roster * 155:1 182:1

Foreign Student Participation - Tennis: Men: Women:
% of International Players - NCAA I teams 61% 66%
% of International Players - NCAA II teams 55% 48%
% of International Players - NCAA III teams 10% 9%

scholarshipstats.com/tennis

-- Edited by Elegant Point on Thursday 3rd of August 2023 03:27:52 PM

Shows the level and how hard it is for US players to make it through - I guess they dont have that outward bound piece of how many players then go onto become pros from the college world, measured say by getting a world ranking or a ranking in the top 1000 ? Youd think the colleges would have something to show the success of their programmes in producing pro players but I am guessing they wont have anything available!!

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

its sort of producing stats to sell to HS kids with the measure of success being getting into college rather than what job you get when you leave their college!

Elegant Point · Satellite level

JonH comes home wrote:
its sort of producing stats to sell to HS kids with the measure of success being getting into college rather than what job you get when you leave their college!

I think it sets out the stall regarding chances of obtaining a scholarship, for many tennis players from the US they want D1 or nothing hmm . Doesnt factor in the cost of getting a child to D1 standard though, tennis isnt cheap!!

theres also a link to odds on going pro post college, but tennis not included - maybe the numbers too small?

https://scholarshipstats.com/pro-odds

college tennis ranks has a drop down menu with the pro data for college/former college players.

http://collegetennisranks.com/rankings/playersontour/atpsingles

-- Edited by Elegant Point on Friday 4th of August 2023 09:34:03 AM

Strongbow · All-time great

Hadn't realized there were so many of them - first mens group.

Pro After is whether they've played ITF/ATP after college.

Active is any involement in tennis in the last 12 months.

Given the scarcity of info only the rankinks data can be viewed as reliable.

Elegant Point · Satellite level

Impressed you managed to find so much info - definitely not easy! Great to see some players have gone into coaching.

LinkedIn is good to see what peeps are doing now, best results if you search by name and college name.

Barefoot · Lower Club Player

Elegant Point wrote:
JonH comes home wrote:
its sort of producing stats to sell to HS kids with the measure of success being getting into college rather than what job you get when you leave their college!
I think it sets out the stall regarding chances of obtaining a scholarship, for many tennis players from the US they want D1 or nothing . Doesnt factor in the cost of getting a child to D1 standard though, tennis isnt cheap!!
theres also a link to odds on going pro post college, but tennis not included - maybe the numbers too small?
https://scholarshipstats.com/pro-odds
college tennis ranks has a drop down menu with the pro data for college/former college players.
http://collegetennisranks.com/rankings/playersontour/atpsingles

-- Edited by Elegant Point on Friday 4th of August 2023 09:34:03 AM

I appreciate for some its the joy of being able to continue their tennis studies plus an academic qualification, but for those at lower level colleges etc you have to question if its financially worth it? Life over there, plus travel etc, is pricey, when you could also get good tennis exposure at some of the sportier unis over here without the same outlay on coaching or getting a ranking at juniors.

Just feels like in some cases it reminds me of those old gap year schemes - do some charity work in South America and pay 10k for the privileg!

Strongbow · All-time great

2nd group. Most of the names mean nothing to me- but I suppose if you follow junior or college tennis there will be some reminders.

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

Thanks for this research Strongbow - fascinating to see and it seems very few of those who go to us university from the uk become a pro or even stay in the sport post degree. A lot fewer than I expected , based on this research! Fascinating