Within the span of 24 hours, I went from being at the United Cup in Sydney and Australian Open in Melbourne to a 50k ITF event in the small town of La Marsa, Tunisia. To put it lightly, it’s been a change.
The Changes:
- Gourmet meals at 5-star restaurants to sloppy, wet scrambled eggs.
- Brand new gym equipment to a rusty, dusty, squeaky treadmill.
- Sunny summer Australian weather to cold, rainy Tunisia in January.
- A fleet of on-demand brand new EV Kia cars to a rusty van only twice a day.
- As many Gatorades, waters, and towels as you want to nothing provided.
- Staying downtown in a fantastic city to being in the middle of nowhere with nowhere to go.
The differences between the two tennis tours
This is not to complain about my current state. It is to highlight the vast disparity between the two levels of tournaments. From prize money to gyms to food to amenities, the difference between the ITF tour and the WTA is stark. Even more shocking (to my nervous system) is going from the United Cup and Australian Open to an especially difficult W50 in La Marsa, Tunisia. The contrast could not have been bigger.
Playing Devil’s Advocate, one could say, “Just play better and get ranked higher, and you will play better tournaments.” I don’t wholly disagree with this: in a way, they would be right. That is exactly what we are all trying to do – rise up the rankings to get the opportunities to play bigger tournaments with higher prize money and better facilities. The tricky part is getting there or staying there. And it is even more challenging when the gap is so large.
How do you train well when there is barely a gym? How do you eat well when there is not much healthy food in your area? How do you sleep well when the bed is so uncomfortable you struggle to sleep? But we all have to find a way. We all had to start here at some point (unless you’re a junior prodigy getting wild cards). Coming from this, the Grand Slams taste even sweeter.
I am very privileged and lucky to travel the world to all these places and stay in (usually) excellent hotels. I am not writing this to complain; I am just sharing my personal experience to shed some light on the ups and downs of the professional tennis tour.
P.S. I won my first match of the year today! Let’s go.
