Would you give up your Professional Tennis career if...

Money disparity based on Gender is not the area of interest in this poll and is not the subject of discussion.I want the respondents to assume that both genders earn identical amount of money playing Tennis.

This is about choosing priorities and making commitments, including compromising a career in sport that one loves.

Depends on the nature of the family needs.

Are you asking about having children?

Also you have no options for either sex choosing not to give up their careers, just a count of who would and no record of who would not.

I think there are too many variables involved here, to give definitive answers.

However, I saw an interview with Mats Wilander and Roger Federer on Eurosport the weekend, that's related to this.

I can't remember the exact wording but Mats asked Fed something along the lines of how he still does it with 4 kids now. Fed replied with something like, that he still loves the game and he has the support of his family and friends.

Mats then said something like that when he started having kids, even though he loved the game and also had the support of family and friends. When he went on to the courts he just couldn't practice or play matches with the same intensity anymore.

We'll see what happens to Novak when Baby Djokovic is born.

Kim Clijsters experience of this is quite different from Fed and Mats.

Kim retired from playing tennis to get married, have a child and she also had to nurse her father with her younger sister, as best they could until he died of cancer.

"Almost two years after her retirement and one year after the birth of her daughter in February 2008, it was announced that Clijsters, along with Tim Henman, Steffi Graf, and Andre Agassi, would play an exhibition event on Wimbledon's Centre Court in May, in order to test the new roof.

While preparing for the exhibition at Wimbledon, Clijsters called a press conference on 26 March, and then announced that she was returning to professional tennis. She said that she had been inspired when preparing for the Wimbledon roof event during January 2009"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kim_Clijsters


"You can have your own life and still be a good mother and a good wife. But I won’t risk my family life falling apart for tennis" - Kim Clijsters

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/you/article-1228679/Kim-Clijsters-My-daughter-calls-shots.html

The Special Juan wrote:We'll see what happens to Novak when Baby Djokovic is born.

He will moan that the baby isn't cheering for him just like he moans when the crowd are against him..

@BB... no children in the equation.

Take Haas for example, he almost retired to care of this parents. We are already discussing pregnancy and child-bearing elsewhere on v2.

One area to consider is if your partner is unwell, for example Kleybanova or Hutchins or Baltacha.

@Eric... Take Mirka and Roger. Both did play tennis but Mirka (even before the children came) was already playing a different role.

Before Clijsters was married, recall Hewitt-Clijsters, Andreev-Kirilenko and before that Connors-Evert were a couple. Today you have Dimitrov-Sharapova.  I will not mention Stepanek and his many adventures.

It is tough, and there are pros and cons for being in the same sport, or just being professional athletes, in different sports.

There's too many options to answer the question;

What's the nature of the need?
Am I a top player or a journeyman, and what's my spouse?

Also, there are 'no' options missing.

bogbrush wrote:There's too many options to answer the question;

What's the nature of the need?
Am I a top player or a journeyman, and what's my spouse?

Also, there are 'no' options missing.

It is not a specific need. Instead of using rankings, let us assume equal money is currently being earned.

Let me know what options you suggest for the "no" category, and I will try to add them.

All things being equal, I would give up my career. I would take the view that tennis is a time consuming sport. The hours of travelling and practice. For me I would be safe and I would put my family first for a more permanent residence and routine.

That said those pro's who play on with the responsibility of a family deserve enormous credit for being able to make it work and also have the amazing support network from friends and family off the court.

Difficult question to answer. If Im a journeyman, and my wife/mother develops cancer, I need to start making some money dont I? Alternately, if Im a career top 50, and a loved one develops a fatal disease, I think its no-brainer... Rather difficult without any context, I feel. I mean what does all things being equal mean? Money is an object, money is no object?

kingraf wrote:Difficult question to answer. If Im a journeyman, and my wife/mother develops cancer, I need to start making some money dont I? Alternately, if Im a career top 50, and a loved one develops a fatal disease, I think its no-brainer... Rather difficult without any context, I feel. I mean what does all things being equal mean? Money is an object, money is no object?

The current earnings are equal, whether a dollar, or a million. Making money can be done without playing Tennis, correct?

Not all of us play in the ATP/WTA/ITF.

For example, Tennis coaching and being locally based, close to a loved one, depending on circumstances, is an option. There is no need to live in a suitcase to make money. Take for example Toni Nadal. He does not travel with Nadal all the time, Roig does cover him.

I agree it is a difficult question to answer.