The world of tennis is full of stories of players who juggle to keep their careers afloat.
Of
"racket workers"
, who navigate the lowest positions in the ranking - and when we say lowest, we are not talking about the 150th or 200th step, but rather lower - and they strive to continue keeping the dream alive to make a living from a sport in which for some, day-to-day life is very difficult.
In that group is
Juan Pablo Paz , Argentine, 29 years old and ranked 590th in the
ATP
singles rankings
.
The man from Quilm has been traveling the world for many years, far from the luxuries of the Grand Slams or the tournaments where the big stars rub shoulders.
And after so much time, he knows perfectly well all the
"tricks"
that help him continue competing, as he said in a Twitter thread with the hope that the information shared could be useful to a colleague in a situation similar to his.
"
Lately I receive a lot of messages asking me how I support myself to play tennis with the ranking I have.
And there is always the idiot who, every time I lose a match, says that I 'fixed it'
and that's how I earn the money I need to support myself. But Needless to say, those are stupid
," he wrote as an introduction to a list of things
"key to staying alone and being able to continue playing
. "
The first, the Interclubs, especially those in Europe.
"It is no secret that it is essential for all players who are outside the 100-150 of the ATP to play these tournaments
," said Paz.
"Depending on your ranking, you can earn a lot of money for just playing an interclub match. In my case, being between 400 and 600 in the world, I can earn between 1,000 and 2,000 euros per match. It depends a lot on what passport you have."
.
Another fundamental secret is, according to
Juampi
, getting used to traveling alone, without a coach or coaching staff, not to mention family or friends.
1. Interclubs:
For those who are in the world of tennis, they know that it is no secret, much less that it is PRIMORDIAL for all players who are outside the 100/150 ATP to play interclubs in Europe.
Depending on the ranking.
May you be able to earn a lot of money...
— Juan Pablo Paz (@Juanp_paz) January 30, 2024
"Not even with the money from the Interclubs is it possible to support yourself by traveling with a coach
," he stated.
And he acknowledged:
"It is not easy at all, especially at the beginning, to get used to doing everything. Many times it is overwhelming, but over time you learn and get used to finding training, hotels and flights, etc.
"
In addition, he highlighted the importance of being able to have a place to "base" on the
Old Continent
, where most of the competitions are concentrated and where the distances and costs to travel are lower.
"
In Europe you have every type of tournament you want every week
and if they are not exactly in Europe, they are very close and internal flights are much cheaper
," he said.
The events held in Eastern European countries, although they do not have the same level as in other places on the continent,
"are very worth it in terms of price/quality
. "
Because?
"Life there is quite cheap. The food is very good. With the exception of a few places, the people are very friendly and have good vibes. On top of that now that I have been going for many years, I have friends almost everywhere. And lastly, "It is outside the Schengen territory, which, at least for me who does not have a European Union passport, is key
," Paz listed.
3. Tournaments in Eastern Europe.
For those who have followed me for a while, you will have noticed the NUMBER of tournaments I play on that side of the world and the reason is the following:
.
Life there is quite cheap.
.
The food is very good.
.
With the exception of some places...
— Juan Pablo Paz (@Juanp_paz) January 30, 2024
Other tournaments that the Quilmeño takes advantage of to increase his income are those known as
"Resort tournaments"
, ITFs that are held in hotel complexes with sports facilities and that allow him to play
"many weeks in a row always in the same place, which makes you save a lot in ticket costs and they also allow you to settle in and get used to the conditions since every week they are the same (balls, fields, etc.)"
.
And finally, the silver competitions and the UTRs, which is a professional circuit independent of the ATP and the ITF, with prizes that exceed those awarded by the World Tour of the International Federation (ex Futures) and that are played in all continents.
"
Countries like Italy, France or Germany are full of tournaments for money every week
, which gives you that peace of mind that, if you are running short of money, you can always go play some and recover. This is also why it is key being in Europe
," explained Paz.
And he closed: "There are also now the UTR tournaments, which do not give you ATP points, but depending on the places where they are held, it is more or less convenient to play them."
5. Tournaments for money and UTRs.
In countries such as Italy, France or Germany they are full of tournaments for money every week, which gives you that peace of mind that if you are running short of money you can always go and play some of these tournaments until you can...
— Juan Pablo Paz (@Juanp_paz) January 30, 2024
Juampi, who recounts his comings and goings around the world on his YouTube channel (
@juanp_paz)
, began his professional career in 2012. He has won seven ITF circuit titles so far.
She got the last one in 2021, in an M15 from Antalya, for which she pocketed $2,160.
On the Challenger Tour, his best results are the semifinals of a competition in Anning, China, in 2017 and another in Blumenau, Brazil, in 2002.
He has not yet been able to debut in the main draw of an ATP.
In May 2017 it reached its best position in the world ranking, 284th place.
This year, he only played one official tournament, the Buenos Aires Challenger, the first week of January.
He lost in the first round of qualifying and received $130.
In her entire career she has won just under 184 thousand, of which about 138 thousand were in doubles.
It's clear why, as he recounted on her social media, she needs to take advantage of every "trick" he has at hand to keep playing.