Whether you're a junior tennis athlete or the parent of one, the thought of playing college tennis has probably corssed your mind. Five Seaons offers the EX Program that has sent well over 100 players to play at the collegiate level. If you or your child has been selected to participate in EX, then collegiate tennis is a very realistic possibility. But regardless of EX participation, there are some serious considerations to make when it comes to playing tennis at the collegiate level, as well as steps to take to ensure you've looked at all your options.
Considerations to Play College Tennis
So, when deciding whether playing collegiate tennis is a good option for you, consider the following:
- How important is it for me to play tennis at the collegiate level?
- Am I willing to do the work to get to that level?
- Will I be able to balance tennis and academics?
- Am I looking for a scholarship?
Suggested Timeline for Potential College Players
Freshman Year – Make sure your developmental team is in place. Have a mentor/coach that will help lead you through this process. Start to come up with ideas about location of colleges, academic requirements, and tennis requirements.
Sophomore Year – Make an inclusive college list. This list should include colleges the player likes, who the coach is and likelihood of playing there. Recommended list size is 50 colleges. Understand www.tennisrecruiting.net and what your rating is. This is what college coaches use first.
Junior Year – Start to make the list more exclusive - not too exclusive though. It may be good to start to cut the list down to about 10 schools. Do this by contacting coaches around summer of junior year, and checking out rosters to assess the real possibility of playing. Coaches will begin contacting you this year, and on September 1st, they have the right to contact you freely.
Senior Year – Most of the hard work is done! That is, if you do the hard work during the summer prior to senior year and early fall. Early signings happen in November and continue through March.
