ATP stars go to school
With a training program for professionals, the ATP is breaking new ground so that active players can prepare not only for tennis but also for professional life after their careers. Among the more than 20 participants, Stefanos Tsitsipas, currently number 5 in the training ranking, will also attend.
by Dietmar Kaspar
last edit: May 04, 2023, 08:47 pm
Most of the tour professionals should have completed their general school leaving certificate before they dedicated themselves to the exclusive hunt for ATP points. Anyone who has not just chosen the path via a US college, follows the further professional path after his sporting career without academic honors.
Wide range of participants
A new training program, which the ATP presented on the sidelines of the Masters tournament in Madrid, should remedy the situation. A total of 21 professionals are taking part at different stages of their careers, ranging from 24-year-old Finn Emil Ruusuvuori to 37-year-old doubles specialist Philipp Oswald from Austria. In a total of 30 hours of classroom instruction or via online access, the participants are trained by specialists in the areas of sports marketing, sponsoring, event management, social media and personnel management. A two-day class tuition in New York during the US Open will also be offered.
Matters of the heart by Gaudenzi
ATP Chairman Andrea Gaudenzi was particularly committed to the project: "This program is very important to me. When I think about my own journey, the education took a lot of pressure off my playing days and opened up career opportunities for me after tennis. It will no doubt be valuable to the players, both during and after their time on tour."
Participants in the training program: Stefanos Tsitsipas, Emil Ruusuvuori, Jan-Lennard Struff, Marc-Andrea Huesler, Quentin Halys, Federico Delbonis, Robin Haase, Mackenzie McDonald, Gregoire Barrere, Matwe Middelkoop, Joao Sousa, Aisam-Ul-Hag Quereshi, Gastao Elias , Malek Jaziri, Marcelo Melo, Jamie Cerretani, Pierre-Hugues Herbert, Pablo Andujar, Matthew Ebden, Jamie Murray, Philipp Oswald.