Tennis players education

[Kieran]

I know this is an odd question to ask, but outside of hitting tennis balls, what level of academic education do the likes of the Big 4 have? Did they leave school aged 3 and a half, to concentrate on their brilliant futures, or did they swot and do the same exams as the rest of us - while also playing tennis?

Other tennis players can be used for info too.

Cheers!

 

[GameSetAndMath]

I know this is an odd question to ask, but outside of hitting tennis balls, what level of academic education do the likes of the Big 4 have? Did they leave school aged 3 and a half, to concentrate on their brilliant futures, or did they swot and do the same exams as the rest of us - while also playing tennis?

Other tennis players can be used for info too.

Cheers!

I think most finish school, although not in the old fashioned way like you and me.
They might be home schooled, private tutored or taking a high school equivalency exam
or something like that.

Some have college education, notable example is Isner who went to college on
tennis scholarship.

Some even have professional degrees, notable example being Mario Ancic who
has law degree and is currently practicing for a good firm in NY.

I don't think any of the big four have college degree. But, I do think all of them
would have graduated out of high school.

Agassi and McEnroe are drop outs from school. I think James Blake is a dropout
(or did he finish) from Harvard.

On a related, but different issue, ATP conducts some sort of education program
to its players which teaches them various things including how to manage the
money they earn etc. If only NBA had such a program, the statistic that 60% of
NBA players eventually become bankrupt would not be true.

 

[Kieran]

Thanks for that GS&M! I had a feeling there'd be home tutoring or private tutoring for those who could afford it.

That's a terrible stat about NBA players!

 

[GameSetAndMath]

McEnroe is a Stanford dropout and Blake is a Harvard dropout. That surely
is a pair of distinguished dropouts.

I made an error and said McEnroe is a school drop out. But Agassi is a school dropout.
Blake apparently went to Harvard Medical School.

 

[tented]

Federer quit school at 16. As a result, fans are treated to moments like this, from an interview in 2006:

Q. How did you learn not to panic? Was it just getting the experience?

ROGER FEDERER: Yeah, I guess just losing, winning a lot of matches, just playing against all sorts of different players. You always have the fast runners, the big servers, the serve-and-volleyers, the aggressive baseliners, the counterpunchers. I think at the beginning of your career all you're really trying to get is a feel for how to play each and every one of them. It's obvious that you like one style of play. But to beat all the different styles, I think that's the hard part.

That's obviously what we have in my group, for instance. We have David who's a great counterpuncher, an incredibly good baseliner. Then you have the big servers. So you have to overcome all these different obstacles if you want to be a great player.

It took me a long time, but eventually I got ahold of myself and ahold of their games. It turned out to be a great career.

Q. The experience comes from yourself or some experts like Dr. Freud?

ROGER FEDERER: Don't know him. Who is he?

Q. He was an expert from psychology.

ROGER FEDERER: I don't know.

Q. He was a Swiss, too.

ROGER FEDERER: Is that right? Nope, never needed him.

 

[Kieran]

:lolz:

"What about Mr Jung, Roger, ever need him?"

"No, I think he coaches his son Donald, so it wouldn't feel right, obviously..." :snigger

 

[GameSetAndMath]

Federer quit school at 16. As a result, fans are treated to moments like this, from an interview in 2006:

Q. How did you learn not to panic? Was it just getting the experience?

ROGER FEDERER: Yeah, I guess just losing, winning a lot of matches, just playing against all sorts of different players. You always have the fast runners, the big servers, the serve-and-volleyers, the aggressive baseliners, the counterpunchers. I think at the beginning of your career all you're really trying to get is a feel for how to play each and every one of them. It's obvious that you like one style of play. But to beat all the different styles, I think that's the hard part.

That's obviously what we have in my group, for instance. We have David who's a great counterpuncher, an incredibly good baseliner. Then you have the big servers. So you have to overcome all these different obstacles if you want to be a great player.

It took me a long time, but eventually I got ahold of myself and ahold of their games. It turned out to be a great career.

Q. The experience comes from yourself or some experts like Dr. Freud?

ROGER FEDERER: Don't know him. Who is he?

Q. He was an expert from psychology.

ROGER FEDERER: I don't know.

Q. He was a Swiss, too.

ROGER FEDERER: Is that right? Nope, never needed him.

I am glad that Roger did not need Freud. If you ask Freud, why Roger keeps losing
to Rafa, he would say something like it is due to repressed childhood fantasies
about Spanish men which remained unfulfilled and so he is taking the spanking.

 

[Front242]

I know at least one top player who studied and did well. Mario Ancic studied law and is now a lawyer.