A model of professional tennis athlete development
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Abstract
Currently, there is no male Thai professional tennis player ranked in the top 100 of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). This may indicate that professional development for Thai tennis players is needed. The current study aimed to evaluate issues and possible solutions for professional player development in Thailand. We conducted a semi‑qualitative and semi-quantitative study on stakeholders for professional player development in Thailand. In depth interviews using the Delphi technique and focus group discussion were employed. There were nine obstacles to becoming a professional tennis player in Thailand. These included player recruitment and improvement, using sport sciences, opportunities for competition, administrative management, support from organizations, social recognition, income, and professional tennis player law. The top three issues according to experts were tennis player recruitment, professional tennis player law, and using sport sciences.
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References
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