The multitalented job of
touring pro

There are two things here - identifying a touring pro, and then being one yourself. I'm watching the TV right now, with the sound off of course, and there's a match on between Sam Querrey and Kei Nishikori. I'm watching two pros who travel for a living.

There is also no distinction between the superstars like Djokovic and Federer, and Querrey or Nishikori. They are all touring pros. In the news today I read that Rainer Schüttler has decided to quit the pro game. He "turned professional" at age 19, so thereby becoming a touring pro, and is now quitting being a touring pro. So how many touring pros are there?

The definition of a touring pro is larger than that. Not only do we include the superstars, the players who earn a good living from the game, and those who are trying to earn a good living from the game, but there is another group, or are indeed "touring", and are also "pros." This is the coaches and practice partners.

Career or Hobby

Whilst watching Andy Murray last week one of his entourage was a guy I've never heard of, let's call him Jason, but who came up on the TV caption as 'hitting partner'. Why have I never heard of him? I've been following the pro game for over 25 so closely, how can anyone slip under the radar? We must assume that this hitting partner was at one time on the circuit, and not so long ago. Otherwise he wouldn't be hitting balls with Andy Murray. Let me make a guess. He's about 27 years old. He spent about five years trying to make breakthroughs on the lower ATP tour, never managed to get higher than 500 World Ranking, and then had to find a normal job. At 500 in the world you are spending $ 25,000 a year and earning $ 10,000. You can't continue doing that for long.

Recommendation

So, through a friend of a friend, word got round that Jason might be a good hitting partner for Andy Murray. He'll spend certain weeks on the road with him, maybe spend some days with Murray when he is back home practising. All expenses paid, and say a $1000 for a week's work. What a great job!

The only trouble is, Murray will only make use of this touring pro Jason for a few weeks a year, maybe even abandon him completely after these few weeks. He may not be good enough. He may not hit the ball in a way that serves any purpose to Murray. It could be that next month Murray envisages some big matches coming up with Nadal. So Murray will expressly find a hitting partner who is muscly and left-handed. Jason is out of work again.

What Jason can of course hope is that word gets round that he does a great job as hitting partner for a superstar, and he gets offered a similar role soon with another player. Maybe the new player won't pay as much as Murray, may not have as much kudos as Murray.

Jason may carry on doing this for a few years, say until he meets the lady of his dreams, who won't tolerate his unsure existence and absences, and he decides to take up a club pro job. Safe salary, gets home every evening, a nice, quiet life with his favourite lady and the kids.

Oh, for a normal life

In terms of ball hitting, there is another level of touring pro. Jason might wish to extend his career beyond that age when his children come into the world. He wants to continue on the road, even when his ball striking is not really up to standard.

Let's take Jason at age 40. He's got a nice little retainer at a country club in Florida, based on his "hitting partner" reputation. He is the head guy in a team of club coaching professionals. He can pick and choose his favourite lessons, but in fact Jason has now become something else. Through his experience with Murray, he has great coaching knowledge. Jason knows that his knowledge has no real value in his country club. This knowledge is very desirable on the pro circuit. So he offers himself as coach, a pro for the pros. He may not hit too many balls with his ATP player, but he's still capable of doing certain things as a "hitting partner". If he keeps fit, he may even be useful as a ball striker until he is 50. But the likelihood is that his primary role, as an older man, is for his mind, his experience, and his ability to travel. He'll earn nice little wages for a couple of weeks work here, a couple there. His reputation will grow. He may even decide to tour with his player on a pretty much permanent basis. I'm not sure how much his wife and kids'd like that.

You can be a touring pro at any age.You must be, and will be, a willing traveller, and the people around you must accept that.