To save professional tennis, we must protect college tennis

Now that the U.S. Open is over, it's time to reflect on the state of professional tennis. This year, another wave of new talent promises a bright future, but signs show that they are unlikely to stick around for much longer. That’s neither good for the sport, the players nor the fans. To save professional tennis, we must protect the one thing that could save its future: college tennis.

When teenage superstars like Emma Raducanu, Leylah Fernandez and Carlos Alcaraz enter the world stage, the tennis community gets excited. But no one is surprised anymore when young, promising talent like them burns out almost as quickly as their rise to fame. Naomi Osaka, who just three years ago was crowned as the next big thing, is the latest to fall victim to the unforgiving reality of a professional tennis player.

College tennis can go a long way to prevent this. It can and has generated a deep, competitive, and representative pool of professional players with the tools and maturity to succeed for longer. Unfortunately, just in the first six months of last year, forty-eight college tennis programs have been eliminated. Between 2020 and 2021, eighteen Division-I programs have been scrapped.

This trend is concerning because college tennis will become more than a consideration for important, aspiring young professionals; it will be a rite of passage.

Why? Because the financial, mental, and physical toll tennis takes on players in their teenage years is too much to bear alone. The sport is expensive, mentally taxing, and physically challenging. College tennis programs can take some of that burden off the player and their families.

College removes some of the expenses of the sport, by providing equipment, travel, court time, and a coaching staff. It gives a player financial stability, and more importantly, peace-of-mind, the biggest asset on the court. Outside of college, players who are not so lucky to gain the attention of sponsors at a young age must rely on their families for support—and not all families can afford a late bloomer. Few can beat the odds like Serena and Venus Williams did and make it out of Compton, California to dominate world tennis.?

Keeping college tennis alive will also ensure that the makeup of professional tennis players is diverse and representative of everyone. Otherwise, the pool of players will shrink, and tennis will be exclusively for the rich.

Second, college gives players a built-in support community of teammates and coaches whose inter-personal relationships can help each other cope with the pressure that comes with competition. If that’s not enough, many of the schools have readily available sports psychologists, counselors, and mental health advisors and resources on campus. This structure can fortify the mental foundation of a player to withstand the professional experience. So what if they start their professional career later in life? If their careers don’t last long, then starting early isn’t worth it.

Third, with the athletic training resources and expertise available on college campuses, programs can keep players physically healthy throughout a long season. Without these resources, they are risking getting hurt, which could be devastating. Saving the college pathway also means giving players a contingency plan in case of a career-ending injury: a college degree.

To young players, the financial, mental, and physical benefits that come with college tennis means it will no longer seem optional, but inevitable.

The long-term benefit of college tennis to the men’s and women’s pro tours is greater and healthier talent that lasts longer. It’s good for the sport, the players, and the fans. That’s why, as college tennis faces a breaking point, we must do everything we can to hold onto it.

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