Luca Vanni and journey

[secrettennisjunkie]

I just looked up this guy Luca Vanni from Italy was qualified for the Sao Paulo 250 and then somehow got a bye when the top seed pulled out. He beat de Bakker and found himself in the QF after his 1st ATP main draw win. Looking back he's been in 300s for most of the last few years but now is up to #149 after winning a bunch of futures in Italy last year and then qualifying in Chennai this year.

I'm curious how a 29-yr-old can toil that low in the rankings for so long. There are others that you see finally making in roads on the main tour near or into their 30s, Roger-Vasselin and Estrella Burgos come to mind. Are these guys just really rich, supported by their federations (I would doubt that given their low ranks), plunging into debt, have side jobs for part of the year, or what? Any ideas or insight from anyone?

I'm not talking about Michael Russell types who seem to hover around 100 and there may be enough money in challengers and slam 1st round losses to scrape by, I'm talking about guys below that that play mostly futures and occasionally challengers and slam qualifying.

 

[Denis]

Good question, no idea honestly. Dustin brown used to own a camper to go to tournaments and he was ranked at the same level at the time.

 

[herios]

There are hundreds of players in this situation, not just a few and I doubt they have time for a side job or all of them are very rich.
I think for players at that level, the cost of playing week to week could be managed by capping it.
I am sure they do not pay the most expensive lounging, nor have the most expensive team (trainer and therapists), select more carefully where they play so they do not cross the whole world to get an event, where the prize money could hardly cover transportation + accommodation and food costs.

And I am sure most of them will not fly at first class, in Europe for 2-3 hours flight, frankly, you do not need that. More so, a charter for 100 Euros will do the trick!

 

[secrettennisjunkie]

Just looked up Vanni's career earnings and it is $160,707 for his CAREER. He's been on the ATP computer since 2006 and in the top 500 since 2008, so he's only made about $20,000/year from prize money. In the USA a single person might be able to scrape by on that but for someone traveling even just around Italy I don't see how you could make it. Do tournaments offer food and/or lodging? I've heard something about a per diem but then again we're talking futures and challengers here not ATP events.

 

[Billie]

They sometimes just drive by cars, many tournaments are easily accessible in Europe.

I don't know, I am just reading about this guy and his story is fascinating to me; from ATP website:


Following his quarter-final win at the Brasil Open 2015 on Friday, a jubilant Luca Vanni exclaimed that it has been a "dream" week in Sao Paulo.

The 29-year-old Italian's dream is rapidly becoming a reality. Vanni survived a near-three hour marathon against home favourite Joao Souza 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-4, to reach his first ATP World Tour final in dramatic fashion.

The World No. 149 qualifier has won six matches in eight days, having previously never recorded a match victory on the ATP World Tour entering the week. He is the first qualifier to reach the Sao Paulo final in the 15-year history of the tournament.

"I tried to make my first serves," said Vanni. "I did fight and I made my first ATP (World Tour) final."

Vanni served for the match at 5-4 in the second set and held two match points, but Souza fought back, leveling the set and forcing a tie-break. The Brazilian would force a decider and looked to be in the driver's seat after breaking serve in the seventh game. Vanni would not be denied his Cinderella story, however, breaking back immediately and reeling off three straight games to secure the win after two hours and 56 minutes. He is the third Italian to appear in the Sao Paulo final in four years after runner-up finishes by Filippo Volandri in 2012 and Paolo Lorenzi in '14.

What makes Vanni's story even more remarkable is that the nine-year veteran had never competed at the ATP World Tour stage prior to the 2015 season. He reached his first ATP Challenger Tour final last July in Kaohsiung, Taiwan (l. to Lu).

WOW!

 

[Luxilon Borg]

I just looked up this guy Luca Vanni from Italy was qualified for the Sao Paulo 250 and then somehow got a bye when the top seed pulled out. He beat de Bakker and found himself in the QF after his 1st ATP main draw win. Looking back he's been in 300s for most of the last few years but now is up to #149 after winning a bunch of futures in Italy last year and then qualifying in Chennai this year.

I'm curious how a 29-yr-old can toil that low in the rankings for so long. There are others that you see finally making in roads on the main tour near or into their 30s, Roger-Vasselin and Estrella Burgos come to mind. Are these guys just really rich, supported by their federations (I would doubt that given their low ranks), plunging into debt, have side jobs for part of the year, or what? Any ideas or insight from anyone?

I'm not talking about Michael Russell types who seem to hover around 100 and there may be enough money in challengers and slam 1st round losses to scrape by, I'm talking about guys below that that play mostly futures and occasionally challengers and slam qualifying.

Roberto Carretero. Juan Aguilar.

 

[herios]

Simply put Stanimal is back !
Congrats to him.
More work to do to Tomas....

 

[Billie]

Simply put Stanimal is back !
Congrats to him.
More work to do to Tomas....

:laydownlaughing Wrong thread my friend!!