I Started Playing Tennis When I Was 11 Can I Be A Pro?

[the-shrey-girl]

I am 12 now and I have a chance to play tennis competitively but all tennis pro's started playing tennis at a younger age. Being a professional tennis player is my dream and I am ready to work hard for it but everyone I meet is discouraging and says that I am too old to take tennis up seriously. PLS HELP!!!

[Tilly2]

Are you playing in a tennis club?

[the-shrey-girl]

yes

[agchristie]

Rubbish! We are crying out for good tennis players! Go, follow your dream and you too could be lifting the big prize just like Virginia Wade did in '77.

Im assuming you are based in the UK?

[Tilly2]

My money says no, ag.

Who is being discouraging?

[agchristie]

If you are good enough you are young enough...

[Cloverjo]

Practise, practise, practise. If you don't try you'll never know. If you love it anyway, it will be no hardship.

[agchristie]

Possibly the youngest person on AB who has an ambition and goal in life to succeed in doing something she loves. Ignore the detractors and go for it 'shrey'!

Keep us posted with how you get on and loads of luck from me ;-)

[the-shrey-girl]

thank u everyone for being sooo kind!!!

[agchristie]

I sincerely mean it shrey. Keep us posted and if times get hard, keep at it. You get out what you put in...

[Abdullah101]

Of course you can. I am 23 now. And I still believe that if I start to play tennis tomorrow then I'm gonna be a pro within next 8 months.

[Canary42]

This is a very perplexing question. The fact that so many of today's top players did start out in their infancy (Nadal 3, Djokovic 4, Sharapova 4, Kournikova 5, Williams 4) would appear to support your discouragers, BUT it ain't necessarily so.

I would imagine a significant proportion of them would still reach the top (or certainly become professionals) had they not started until later.

I think you should go ahead, your enthusiasm will presumably be more than sufficient motivation for a few years at least and your progress at that time will help you decide whether to continue or not. You've got nothing to lose (except a few games LOL) so go for it - and if you don't make it, so what. You won't be the first to change careers later in life, and you will have enjoyed it at the time.

Persevere, ignore the "know-alls" (who are probably jealous of your strong sense of direction, and your determination and decisiveness), and good luck.

[sandyRoe]

Try for it. The saddest word that someone might say are: 'I could have been if I'd only tried'.
If you succeed in your ambition, great. If you don't then at least you know you gave it your best.