Parents are investing much time and money in their children's education. They expect results, recognition, dream of the box at Wimbledon, and are dreaming of television stations in their homes to document their child's extraordinary careers.
Yes, they did everything right, they showed the neighbors, the club, the association, and the world how to do it. Dreaming is perfectly legit if families and children do not suffer, and many young people suffer far more than is realized.
Achieving extraordinary success and establishing yourself at the top of the world requires a specific effort that only very few can do justice to. Everything that looks so easy with the top players is the work of years of consistent training, discipline, consistency, talent, and a bit of luck.
The world-class players were not stronger, bigger, or faster than the others as children. They were more consistent, more enduring, more disciplined, and were willing to go the famous "extra mile" from a young age. The parents of these players were always ready to be there for their children, encouraging and supporting them, and have built trust in coaches who understand their craft and pursue the same goals.
Many successful tennis parents have dedicated themselves to their children's education from the beginning, stopped their profession, took financial risks, learned from experts, acquired a lot of specialist knowledge, and left their own families for about 30 weeks a year to conquer the world.
Of course, even this willingness is no guarantee of success. Families were broken up, and father-son and mother-daughter relationships were destroyed, nobody ever heard of such drama. It becomes very unfortunate when the parents and the responsible coach pursue more ambitious goals than the player himself, these projects fail 99.9% of the time.
For Plan A, dreaming must be allowed to do whatever it takes to walk this challenging path with all its attendant elements. And there are always 100 players in the first 100, so it's possible. For plan B you should be aware of how many advantages you become through the sport.
- A sporty youth in an environment with like-minded people.
- A very good physical and mental training with well-trained trainers and experts in the daily work.
- Learn discipline, perseverance, consistency, winning, and losing.
- A social training in a group working towards the same goals.
- A broadening of one's horizons on worldwide tournament trips, including the English language.
- Additional training in sports.
- The possibility of a scholarship at a good university in the USA.
- These advantages are priceless in later life and are highly valued by corporations, no matter what the industry.
Parents should be proud of that, however, they are allowed to dream.
- CU on court / Gerald Mild