Careers in Tennis: Offering More than On-Court Instruction

A nearly 33 percent growth in tennis participation during the past three years has generated immense demand for coaching, court time, and competition, paving the way for robust career opportunities on court and behind the scenes.

As a result, tennis industry career opportunities abound, with employment options that cross many different professional disciplines. They include: tennis instructors, facility tennis directors, sales and marketing for tennis equipment manufacturers/retailers, court builders, facility managers, team coaches at all education levels, communications, and officials/referees.

One way to get started is to learn the business by becoming a club teaching professional. This grounding can help people decide what direction to take their career.

“The skill set and the discipline developed in traditional coaching prepare people for so many other potential career opportunities in tennis,” says Mark McMahon, a career coach and certified Master Tennis Professional.

John Embree, CEO of the U.S. Professional Tennis Association says, “We have so many people looking for quality teaching at clubs and facilities around the country, but we don’t have enough professional staff to meet demand,” Embree said.

Tennis players can become certified as tennis instructors through courses at the USPTA or the Professional Tennis Registry (PTR). From there, people will touch on many aspects of the sport –honing their skills as an instructor, but also meeting equipment manufacturers, working with club staff to maintain the facility, and running tournaments, said McMahon.

McMahon’s tennis journey is an example of how to move from instructor to other industry roles. A top player as a youngster, he hoped to become a professional tennis player, but wasn’t able to fulfill his dream.

“What brought me from Australia to America was wanting to be a professional tennis player,” he says. “I always had a strong affinity and respect for those who introduced me to the sport. And I had one coach pretty much my entire junior career. And I said I can be just like my coach, and I pursued that, and I was good at that.”

After coaching for several years, McMahon moved into equipment marketing as a consultant for Prince, he later became a tennis director at private clubs and also served on the USPTA Board of Directors about a decade.

Today, he works with individuals and private clubs in hiring tennis directors who, in his words, “will lead their program to greatness.”

High school students interested in the business side of tennis can check out the USTA website which lists a handful of universities offering four-year bachelor’s degree programs in tennis management. These programs provide academic instruction and hands-on training through internships from on-court instruction to facility operations. Graduates of programs like these will be prepared for careers as a tennis teaching professional, club manager, director of tennis, pro shop manager, and other business and hospitality leadership roles. Officiating tennis is another way to be involved in the game professionally. The path to officiating tennis begins locally but can lead to involvement on bigger stages.

“If you want to be in the club business, get a degree from a hospitality school,” Embree says. “It’s a great degree to have if you eventually want to be a country club manager or the front office manager or the house manager.”

The enormous growth of tennis has opened the door for people to consider a career path in tennis that will take them from the classroom to the courts and beyond.

“I would encourage parents to think about tennis as a viable career for their child,” Embree says. “If they have a great personality, are dedicated to the game and have a passion for the sport, there’s a career in tennis.”