If you’re familiar with the tennis scene in Phoenix, you’ve no doubt heard of (if not played in) the Mercedes-Benz of Scottsdale Tennis Tournament held at the Camelback Village. What most people don’t know is that Josh started and directs money tournaments like the Mercedes for tour pros to get out and play with the community and make a little money.
The life of a tour pro is not a glamorous one. It’s a constant grind chasing a dream that takes an incredible amount of drive, ambition, dedication, discipline, perseverance, and money.
Just to be a tour pro puts you easily in the top 1% of tennis, but it’s not a journey for the faint of heart. The mental and physical stress of travelling all over the world while training, winning and losing, managing your nutrition and injuries… The truth is no one is ever quite 100% out there. There’s a lot more to playing and staying in professional tennis than what you see on tv. And unless you’re winning major televised tournaments, there’s very little money in it.
Most pros will find friends to crash with or a group will room together to save money. Many learn to be excellent cooks as a way to say thank you to their hosts.
Jacqueline turned pro straight out of college and has been on the professional circuit for 6 years now. Pros like Jacqueline play for the love of the game and thrill of being able to compete at the highest level. Jacqueline and her coach Joel first met when they teamed up as mixed doubles partners and went on to play in the U.S. Open. Coming off a recent ankle injury, Jacqueline is hitting well and excited to get back in the game.
It’s not about the money, but it does take a considerable amount of money to keep the dream alive. Jacqueline is headed back to Asia in a few weeks to continue competing. If you want to continue to follow Jacqueline, subscribe to her blog and donate to support her professional journey – https://cakotennis.com/support-me/