Tennis' minor leagues help boost players' confidence
MELBOURNE, Australia – After Johanna Konta lost here in the qualifying draw a year ago, the British 24-year-old played her next event in Surprise, Ariz., a Phoenix suburb of 30,000 that is the spring training home of the Kansas City Royals and the Texas Rangers.
It was the first of many stops for Konta, now the world No. 47, in a year predominantly spent in what is known as tennis’ minor leagues, the ITF Pro Circuit. She played in Pelham, Ala.; in Saint-Gaudens, France; and in Granby, Quebec.
And Wednesday she plays in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open.
The ITF Pro Circuit and ATP Challenger are tennis’ version of baseball’s farm system. Prize money starts at a paltry $172 for a first-round win at the lowest-rung tournament (called a Futures $10,000), but what can’t be monetized at this level is confidence: The inner currency built over time to eventually be used when it’s needed, like during the latter rounds of a Grand Slam.
“It’s [about] accumulating experiences that I've had,” said Konta, who last summer won 10 ITF matches before making a run to the fourth round at the U.S. Open. “Win or lose, if you feel competitive in that environment, you do take positive things from that. It's an ongoing process.”
Konta’s quarterfinal opponent, world No. 133 Zhang Shuai of China, has bounced back in part because of the Pro Circuit, as well. After going 8-20 at high-level events on the WTA and in Grand Slams in 2015, she pulled back a level for an event in Tokyo, where she won five straight matches and hoisted the trophy, her first tournament victory in two years.
“I play against the local player [there]; very tough,” Zhang said. “But I think I did a great job [there]. If not that win, I think I don't have today.”
That’s to say: Without the confidence boost of a lower-level Pro Circuit or Challenger event, there would be no run at a Grand Slam quarterfinal. Or better.
American Nicole Gibbs, the world No. 106, can relate. The former Stanford standout and two-time NCAA champion had a breakout year in 2014 that elevated her to a career-high ranking of No. 84.
But she struggled to win consecutive matches last season as she played one WTA event after another, running into higher-ranked players where the paychecks were agreeable ($1,600 one week or $3,400 the next), but the wins were hard to come by. In need of a boost, she stepped down to the minor leagues. Gibbs finished out her season going 18-6 after the U.S. Open, all at Circuit events.
“I made a call at the end of last season to shift my focus away from the WTA events because I felt like I needed match play and to get some wins,” Gibbs said. “At the U.S. Open, I only had 10 wins [all year]. I wanted to even out my win-loss record a little bit and I thought the ITF events were the best way to do that. I built some confidence at the smaller events and ended the year on a more positive note. I felt like I was ready to hit the main tour again.”
And she was. Gibbs won three matches at a WTA event in China earlier this month and then made the second round in Melbourne.
“That’s been an issue the last couple of years for me,” added Austin Krajicek, an American ranked No. 103. “Balancing the right schedule with ATP World Tour events, Challengers and Futures isn’t easy. If you want more matches, you’re going to go to the Challengers. At the Grand Slams, you get to be around all of the best players in the world, and that’s why we play the game. Sometimes a Challenger is about having to put your head down and play matches to stay at that [ranking] or climb higher. It’s just a balancing act.”
Krajicek says the spread varies for ATP main draws, which can pull from as high as No. 50 or 60 in the world to 100. The Grand Slams welcome the top 128 players in the world, with the qualifying event expanding that to 256.
In the cases of Konta and Zhang, they knew they could succeed at the top WTA level, but their confidence had wavered or injuries had gotten in the way. A few wins at a lower-level event meant that they weren’t going into a big event cold or on a three-match losing streak, even if the Pro Circuit and Challengers pay out at a much lower level.
“You’re always balancing that as player in that ranking bracket,” said Todd Woodbridge, a former Australian doubles player, of players ranked 60 to 100. “We always encourage players to get out of Challengers and be a Tour player. You have to back yourself up and play Tour events because that’s where you make the money.”
David Goffin, a Belgian now ranked No. 16 in the world, lost to Roger Federer in the fourth round here Sunday. In 2013, after wrist surgery set him out for three months, he won some 30 matches in a row at the ATP Challenger level and earned the nod as the Tour’s Comeback Player of the Year. It was a pivotal choice for him.
“He used it as the vehicle to get match play under his belt to get back,” Woodbridge said. “Everyone should be using it, but it’s how long do you stay there. It’s a vehicle for a young player coming up, or a player who has been injured.”
Goffin was satisfied with the results. “I knew I had the [top] level, [but] sometimes you just need a few wins for your legs and for your confidence,” Goffin said. “That's why now I think I am feeling better. I'm still improving my game day after day.”
This week the payoff for Konta and Zhang will be a big one: Each will earn at least $400,000 AUD for their quarterfinal effort, a semifinal bumping that to $800,000 AUD.
And that experience and confidence they gained at the lower level that appears to be helping them here? Well, that’s priceless.
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