[abraxas21]

Originally Posted by StatRacket

I was thinking the same thing. I think it's because Amir took the time to write that. The reason why anyone goes for any player (other than those of their nationality or something like that) is usually down to sheer chance. Had some Fed fans started following tennis in 2008 instead of 2004, they might have been Nadal fans instead .

thats quite true.

amir sounds like a nice fella but then i remember that for every amir there are 100 more journeymen in similar circumstances. it's a tough sport... i'd dare say most sports are pretty tough in general for the ones who don't make "the cut", whatever that is in the area of interest.

[abraxas21]

Originally Posted by chewbacca74

It seems that at least some Futures tournaments are held in Israel:
http://www.atpworldtour.com/Tourname...nger-Tour.aspx

But it is true that the life is even harder for Israelis...

compared to the euros and the yanks, most likely yes.

compared to the south americans, most likely not.

still, it depends on a wide range of circumstances. family income, opportunities for facilities/coaching, etc

[Or Levy]

Well, how many futures/challengers do you have in south America combined?

[abraxas21]

no idea but then again, south america is quite big.

for example, the distance from santiago to caracas is over 3000 miles. from santiago to sao paulo is over 1600 miles.

by contrast, the distance from tel aviv to, say, a big euro capital like berlin, is 1770 miles. you guys have the advantage of being closer to europe which has a lot more opportunities for tournaments. plus, israel is a rich nation with more economical opportunities and i'm sure a more wealthy tennis federation than what you might find in south america.

this all sounds like a pissing contest but it aint my intention at all. i'm just saying, the poorer you are and the farther from the first world you are, the lesser your chances are. by this token, theres a reason why africans don't do well at tennis.

[Or Levy]

Originally Posted by abraxas21

no idea but then again, south america is quite big.

for example, the distance from santiago to caracas is over 3000 miles. from santiago to sao paulo is over 1600 miles.

by contrast, the distance from tel aviv to, say, a big euro capital like berlin, is 1770 miles. you guys have the advantage of being closer to europe which has a lot more opportunities for tournaments. plus, israel is a rich nation with more economical opportunities and i'm sure a more wealthy tennis federation than what you might find in south america.
this all sounds like a pissing contest but it aint my intention at all. i'm just saying, the poorer you are and the farther from the first world you are, the lesser your chances are. by this token, theres a reason why africans don't do well at tennis.

Are you kidding me? Look how many tournaments Chile has alone, including ATP tournaments Israel doesn't have.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Categor...ments_in_Chile

Israel's entire sport budget is 67 million shekels. (22 million dollars), I'm sure it's more than than that in at least SOME of the south American countries.

[abraxas21]

chile has 1 ATP, 3 Challengers and 6 futures. as for budget, i'd dare say 22 million dollars is more than what any south american country has destined for tennis. but i really dont get whats your point. that it is easier for the average south american to succeed in tennis than it is for the average israeli? if that's what you're saying then you're just wrong.

anyhow, this discussion has taken a misleading direction

[ariel2]

Thanks Or Levy. Amir writes with punch. Maybe he should consider that as a career option given what he's described in his "day in the life" article. Yes, it is nice that the guys on his level help each other out - that's a far cry from what goes on in the top 100. Sure, there are many journeymen in his predicament but now that I've read his take on it, I would gladly follow him. Will check for him at USO qualifying.

[v-money]

Originally Posted by ariel2

Thanks Or Levy. Amir writes with punch. Maybe he should consider that as a career option given what he's described in his "day in the life" article. Yes, it is nice that the guys on his level help each other out - that's a far cry from what goes on in the top 100. Sure, there are many journeymen in his predicament but now that I've read his take on it, I would gladly follow him. Will check for him at USO qualifying.

He lost in the first round of qualifying to Ivan Sergeyev.

Edit: Sorry didn't notice you said USO qualifying. He lost his AO qualifying match.

[Johnny Groove]

If I was Amir, I'd do the Dustin Brown thing, get a big van, and travel all over Europe. Europe has SOOOOOOOO many tournaments every week and the distance is so small between countries it is easier to get around.

[Or Levy]

And live in the Van?

[cobalt60]

Nice read;thanks

[Helevorn]

thanks for the post!!

[Sham Kay]

Amir's a good looking guy. Sort of an interesting mix of Nole, Bellucci and Jake Gyllenhaal.

Anyway, nice insight into the life of.. well lets face it, the majority of tennis players. Nice that he found the time to let us ordinary people know about the rigors of it all. Doesn't sound appealing, but hey tennis isn't just about immensely talented mega stars. It represents the strength and resolve within a person to strive upwards and never look back on and off the court, ploughing through one adversity after another.

These "journeymen" may not have god-given abilities or hordes of fans and admirers, but their determination to fight doggedly for success is far beyond what most people can even imagine.

*Raises fist* All power to these heroes.

[ibreak4coffee]

Originally Posted by Shambritfan

Amir's a good looking guy. Sort of an interesting mix of Nole, Bellucci and Jake Gyllenhaal.

Anyway, nice insight into the life of.. well lets face it, the majority of tennis players. Nice that he found the time to let us ordinary people know about the rigors of it all. Doesn't sound appealing, but hey tennis isn't just about immensely talented mega stars. It represents the strength and resolve within a person to strive upwards and never look back on and off the court, ploughing through one adversity after another.

These "journeymen" may not have god-given abilities or hordes of fans and admirers, but their determination to fight doggedly for success is far beyond what most people can even imagine.

*Raises fist* All power to these heroes.

There would be no Grand Slams without the hundreds of journeymen that play in the early rounds and qualies. Same goes for most events. I wish there was somehow to improve revenue sharing for these guys. I mean, scrubs in American baseball and the NBA make millions of the dollars, and dont have to pay for their travel - and unlike tennis journeymen they rarely have to play. Oh well, life is unfair I guess...

[Gavnich77]

Thanks for the translation...interesting read