Player pathways to the top 100

There is not just 1 pathway to becoming a successful pro player!

The 4 different types of players who make it to the top 100 and the pathways they took!

The goal of many players when they set out to become professional tennis players is to crack the top 100 in the world and stay there for as long as possible. For some, just being a top 100 player is nothing special and they have their eyes on a top 20, top 10 and a Grand Slam title. But for most, getting a spot in the top 100 and competing on the main tour is a fantastic achievement and a lifelong dream fulfilled. To get directly into the main draw of a Grand Slam or regularly in the main draw of the ATP/WTA tour events you usually need to be ranked inside the top 100 as the cut-off for these events is usually around that mark.

A player ranked somewhere between 50-100 in the world is likely to earn around USD$500,000 per year – not the average salary for someone in the 20s! However a player ranked on average around 140 in the world is likely to only make $150k per annum – so you can see the massive difference in earnings by being inside that top 100. With those ranked higher earning more and those who are up in the top 20 regularly grossing over $1.5 million with the very best earning far more than that. It’s great work – if you can get it!! With this kind of money on the line as well as the excitement and prestige of competing at the worlds biggest events, it’s no wonder that cracking the top 100 is such a difficult thing to do and the percentage of those who achieve it is actually very low. Out of all the players who go on the pro tennis circuit, less than 5% actually break into the top 100.

For most federations or national associations that invest in player development programs around the world, their No.1 goal is develop top 100 players – as many as possible. Out of this group that crack the top 100, they are hoping that the odd one may be a serious contender to win a Grand Slam, an Olympic medal or lead their Davis or Fed Cup teams to a title. The more top 100 players a nation develops the more attention and sponsors the sport attracts and the more people play and watch tennis – thus helping to grow the game and the tennis industry within that country

In my experience as a player and coach over the past 35 years, there are 4 different types of pathways that players take to the top 100. Below I look at these 4 types and the characteristics of each

THE FREAK TALENT

Can be described as a highly talented player who breaks through on to the top 100 very early in their pro career and often goes on to become a Grand Slam title contender (at some stage in their career). Possesses some freaky talented skills that can’t really be coached (I discuss “what is talent’ and what are the “x factor skills in tennis that can’t be taught” in another article)

Characteristics of their journey to the top 100:

Were very good at a young age. Winning national titles in 12/u and 14/u age groups.
Playing in junior grand slam main draws in 15th and 16th birth years and doing well and often winning them. Tracking towards the top 100 from a young age
Meeting and exceeding all the result benchmarks – often 1-2 birth years ahead of their peers throughout their junior career
Break through into the top 100 usually around 18-19 years old as opposed to the average age of 22-25 years old.
Usually pass through the stages on the pro tour extremely quickly (eg Futures and Challengers events pass them by in the blink of an eye)
Have grown up in a world class training environment (i detail what this is ) with plenty of tennis but their volume of training often has not been incredibly high – they don’t need to as they possess freaky talent so they don’t need to train massive hours to develop their skills.
Often experience a high level of attention from the media and sponsors from a very young age due to their huge potential and talent
IF this player can combine their freak talent WITH a great work ethic and a solid set of competitive skills (keeping their feet on the ground and their eyes on their goals) - they will likely win Grand Slams (think Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Ash Barty). These players deserve all the recognition and money they get – they have maximised their ability with hard work and dedication in a very difficult and truly international sport – and under intense spotlight from the media and sponsors.

2. THE HIGH-VOLUME WORK HORSE WHO COMMITS TO TENNIS FROM A VERY YOUNG AGE

We have all seen these players. They started tennis the day they could walk! Often parent driven but not always, these athletes possess a work ethic and dedication like seasoned professionals and they maintain it year after year from a very young age.

Characteristics of their journey to the top 100:

Do a very high volume of training from a very young age
As a result, get ahead of their peers in terms of results from a young age
Playing in junior Grand Slams at a young age
Turn pro at a young age and break into the top 100 fairly quickly, usually by 20 years old
Often lack “x factor or freak talent” – have got to where they are on extreme volume, commitment, dedication and a sole focus on tennis. Have a high skill level but have developed their talent through volume rather than it coming naturally.
Often have a driven parent who has pushed them from a very young age and has committed a large portion of their lives to their child.
Sometimes parent has driven their child “out of fear” rather than “motivated them” – these players can often resent their parents and have an ongoing fractured relationship with them as they feel “they never had a childhood, it was only tennis, tennis and more tennis and they were forced to play tennis”. This is definitely not always the case, sometimes the child just knows what they want from a young age and they push themselves to achieve their dreams.
Sometimes this player will be burnt out by their mid-twenties or will have peaked in their early twenties and then struggle to regain that level.
You will rarely see this player attend US College as they want to hit the tour as soon as possible!

3. THE “AVERAGE” TOP 100 PLAYER

The average age a player breaks into the top 100 is 22 years old on the WTA tour and 24 years old on the ATP Tour. This age is getting older, as sports science keeps players on tour longer and players now retire in their early to mid 30s as opposed to around 30 years old 20 years ago, thus making it harder for younger players to break through.

Characteristic of their journey to the top 100:

Were very good junior players but not freaky talented players punching weigh above their weight in terms of junior results. Usually ranked within the top 5 in their age groups in their country – often the top 2.
Were committed to tennis and trained a fairly high volume but also had a balance in life and usually finished their education, went on family holidays, sometimes played other sports - had a life outside of tennis!
Usually grew up in a world class training environment with good coaching at all stages of their journey
Usually hit the pro tour around 18-19 years old once year 12 is completed and it takes them 5-6 years to eventually gain a top 100 spot.
Progress steadily through futures then challengers and eventually on to the main ATP Tour. Will suffer setbacks but keep persisting and developing their games.
Were not at top 100 level at 18 years old, but with good coaching and often support from someone (sponsor, parents, federation) on the tour, they continue to improve and develop until they break through
Often well-balanced people as they have experienced all the levels of the pro tour, have suffered setbacks, have seen the good, bad and the ugly and have battled long and hard to get to where they are. It hasn’t been an easy journey and has required perseverance, persistence, courage and a willingness to learn and change and a fierce determination to make it as well as a genuine love and passion for the sport
Will often hang around the top 100 for many years as they worked very hard to get there, love what they do and want to maximise their time in the top 100
Often stay in the game and make great coaches because they loved their life on tour and want to help the next generation. Often have people (coaches, trainers) who made a huge difference to their lives and they want to be that mentor for the next group of players
If we look back over the past 20 years, not many of these players have won Grand Slam singles titles (a few have), however many have progressed to the quarter or semi-finals at times.
In the past 10 years, we are seeing more and more “average” top 100 players take a US College pathway to the top 100. They are developing their games at world class US College programs and then once they graduate, are taking 2-3 years to break into the top 100.

4. THE LATE BLOOMER, THE BOLTER, THE OUTLIER – THE PERSON EVERYONE SAID COULDN’T MAKE IT!

These players are rare but they exist!. These guys were not usually “on the radar” of their national associations. They were never really statistically tracking to be top 100 players ( i discuss what this means ). They didn’t have great junior results and sometimes went to US College before heading on the pro tour. Not many coaches or observers gave them any chance to be top 100 – but they proved them all wrong!

Characteristics of these players:

Were never hitting any real benchmarks in juniors and weren’t identified as being potential top 100 players
Love tennis and were usually ranked somewhere in the top 15 in their age groups in their country – but were usually losing around the quarter-finals of national titles
Didn’t play a huge volume at a young age and often didn’t grow up with a great training environment or with world class coaches
These players are often statistical anomalies and breakthrough in their mid to late twenties after sometimes years in the wilderness on tour
Will usually spend a short amount of time in the top 100 (1-4 years on average) and may drop in and out of the top 100 regularly
These players are rare however they have shown us all that anything is possible.
Often possess some kind of freaky talent that wasn’t unearthed till later (serve, athleticism, height, determination, competitiveness) and it took a coach or mentor to see it and really get hold of this player and develop this talent at a later age
Often went to US College and then hit the tour late, took the average 5 years to get through the lower tour levels and therefore are in late 20s by the time they hit the TOP 100
Often become great coaches or tennis administrators as they have a deep passion and love for the sport
Often possess an incredible level of perseverance, determination and persistence and a positive attitude with a belief they will break through at some stage. After all, these guys have often been on the lower levels of the tour for 10 years before they make the top 100.
Often make great coaches as they believe “anyone” can make it – drawing on their own experience and passing on their positive attitude and self-belief to their pupils.

5. THE TOP 100 DOUBLES PLAYER FIRST

I forgot this one! It was right under my nose, but 2 Aussie’s who have recently achieved top 100 success (Max Purcell, Arina Rodionova) have brought this front and centre. We know how expensive it is to stay out on tour whilst trying to crack the top 100. Sometimes, what players need is TIME and EXPERIENCE. But to get that it’s COSTLY!! So why not try to crack the doubles top 100 first, get some finances behind you, THEN attempt singles. Max Purcell (top 100 doubles for several years and a Wimbledon doubles champion BEFORE having a real crack at singles). Arina Rodionova (top 100 doubles for MANY years before breaking through in singles at age 34). But also what about Aussie WAYNE ARTHURS in the late 90s – top 100 doubles for several years before cracking the top 100 in singles at AGE 28! Went on to play 19 DAVIS CUP TIES and play a crucial role in helping Australia reach 3 DAVIS CUP FINALS (AND 1 TITLE).

THIS IS A LEGITIMATE PATHWAY TO THE TOP 100 SINGLES RANKINGS – COULD IT BE YOURS !?

I HOPED YOU ENJOYED READING THIS ARTICLE.

SO YOU THINK THIS IS ACCURATE? IS THEIR A “5TH OR 6TH” TYPE OF PLAYER WHO BREAKS INTO THE TOP 100? OR A COMBINATION OF THE PATHWAYS LISTED ABOVE?

What pathway do you think some of our current top 100 Australian singles players took to the top 100?

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