4 Simple Keys in My Journey to Master Professional

This famous line from Charles Dickens’ classic novel “A Tale of Two Cities” is quite appropriate for my tennis career, in terms of where it seems to be now and where it was in 2004 after graduating from college. The length of time between these years is not that expansive when you think about it, but it’s not always about the miles, it’s about the terrain.

In 2022, I was recognized with a Master Professional Designation, the highest recognition bestowed upon a member of the USPTA. It’s rarefied air in the tennis industry with only 217 in the world ever holding this honor. I promise to you that it will never be lost on me what an exclusive and surreal group I have been accepted to.

It requires a significant amount of time, perhaps the most valuable resource you have. It is a career’s worth of service to the industry, communication, coaching and playing accolades and a strong desire for continuing education.

It is simple…it is not easy.

Once you absorb that last sentence, it can make attaining your Master Professional Certification a bit more approachable. Simple is uncomplicated and understandable. Easy requires little effort and motivation. It is simple…it is not easy.

Instead of getting into esoteric specifics on point accumulation and portfolio organization, I wanted to share with you 4 simple steps in my evolution to a USPTA Master Professional that anyone can start doing…right now!

1. Find Good Mentors…and Choose Strategically!

Attending the Professional Tennis Management Program at Ferris State University, I was fortunate enough to have two incredible USPTA Master Professionals as mentors. RJ Tessier and Tom Daglis were my program directors during my time there. For those that know both of these men, you understand how they have vastly different styles of leadership. But due to this wide variance, I was not restricted or dogmatically instilled into just one way of thinking. I could develop a style that suited me while picking the best practices and attributes I learned from each across the spectrum. Essentially, I became a hybrid of what I loved about each of them. The best of both worlds. There are mentors out there for you to learn from. And the best part is, they would love to help. The USPTA offers a wonderful mentor program organized by USPTA Vice President Kevin Theos. And if you still don’t know where to find one…maybe reach out to the author of this article you’re reading! Hi, nice to meet you!

2. Respect and Conquer the Basics

This may seem almost too simple but its one of the most poorly performed tasks in our industry. When you do the little things right, bigger and better things seem to happen more often. (More on this in my next step). The simple task of returning phone calls and emails within 24 hours goes a long way. We are all busy, all of us work hard on one thing or many things, I get that. But making time to communicate with someone promptly and honestly just to let them know you received their message is vital to one's success. And if you don’t have the answer or don’t know the answer, be honest and try to find someone that does and let them know you are working on it. Not everyone needs a solution that very second, but everyone wants to be respected and acknowledged that their message got through.

If you say something, do it in the time you said. Your word is your promise. If you can’t live up to it, don’t say it. By now you are probably thinking, “what does this have to do with being a Master Professional?” This habit increases your professional standard. By doing these little things, people now start to rely, trust and count on you to do the bigger things. Dependability is associated with higher quality and a better product. Once mastered, the world can become your oyster. Remember, quantity is only something you can count, quality is something everyone can count on. This will inevitably lead to bigger things.

3. Seize the Opportunity

If you excel in the previous step, more people will start to give you opportunities. Those professionals that lead the tennis industry in different facets will begin to notice you and be willing to offer you more opportunities to speak, take on important roles, ask for input. Whatever it may be, take them! I don’t think I turned down my first 1,000 opportunities. Yes, there will come a time when you’ll have to step back and say no, but you’ll know when that is and by that time, you will already have solidified yourself. These opportunities are not only a chance to stretch your legs and showcase what you do and what you know, but many are required achievements to be added to your Master Professional portfolio. It’s great to see what you like, don’t like or didn’t expect. Different experiences make for great stories and give you a clearer path and vision for what you want to pursue, not to mention some networking opportunities and new friends.

These opportunities got me so far out of my comfort zone, but inevitably always made me a better professional. In fact, on numerous instances, USPTA National Headquarters themselves reached out to me to offer opportunities that made me legitimately question their sanity. Because of seizing them, I would find myself standing on a tennis court with a dozen or so Top 100 players from the ATP/WTA Tours. Being flown across the country to sit down in a meeting and actively contribute to the future of our sport with some industry legends was priceless. I was proud to be the dumbest person in the room. Having multiple TV/Film cameras stuck in my face while delivering training courses and education modules for future generations is a real learning experience. Truth is, although I said yes, they believed in me more than I ever believed in myself at the time. I’m so thankful and eternally grateful they did.

4. Commit to Education

Education, in a formalized, institutional way, is not for everyone. But if you are a teacher, a coach, or a leader, continuing education in some form is a moral obligation you have to your students. Any coach that does say they already know it all, would also never say such a ludicrous statement for they would know better not to. For my Master

Professional Certification, it was required that I attended 80 hours of specialty courses, plus numerous world, divisional, state and regional conferences. This may increase by the time you go for your Master Professional Designation so if you are behind…get started now! But it also wasn’t just about attending, it was about participating. I’ve been lucky enough to have been a speaker at all of these events as well. How? See the previous step!

If you are interested in becoming a Master Professional, I encourage you to pursue it. It is an immense undertaking but one that will have long lasting benefits for the rest of your career not to mention the cathartic experience of being able to showcase everything you’ve accomplished in your career. The challenges, memories, lessons learned and lessons taught should be documented. Tennis is a better industry because of your contributions. Thank you for reading and good luck on your Master Professional journey.*