College tennis faces an uphill battle
Like most Olympic sports in the post-House world, tennis has a murky future
Pete Janny
July 21, 2025
Kent also cited the foreign influence on college tennis, and he believes the financial stressors in 2025, like revenue sharing, may lead to an even larger proportion of international players on rosters. According to an NCAA report released in 2022, 61 percent of men’s tennis players and 66 percent of the women are from outside the United States, marking a large increase from the 38 percent and 50 percent, respectively, reported in 2006-07. The 2025 national championship-winning Wake Forest men and Georgia women both follow this trend; 63 percent of the Wake Forest men are internationals, along with 58 percent of the Georgia women.
August 5th, 1999 From TENNIS WORLD by Beth German:
“The NCAA is also to be blamed for not keeping tennis specific numbers. It is impossible to find out how many international players take roster spots, scholarships or Graduate from college.”
*****( COMMENT ON THESE “EXCERPTS”)
I support the Pete Janny article, adding this: He, as others in the past ( the USTA, ITA , etc), have cited the % of internationals on American college tennis rosters including all members of all rosters. Above it is 61% for men, 66% for women.
While acknowledging a significant increase, it doesn’t give a complete picture of the real situation.
Technology makes research easier. Embedded below is a “jackleg “ effort I made —studying the top college teams in 2025. Bottom line: All divisions (NCAA 1, 11, NAIA, JUCOS, men and women averaged about 90% of starters. And most probably “scholarshipped “ players. Only NCAA 111 (non- scholarship ) and NCAA 1 women were less than 90%.
Wake Forest featured 11 of 12 international singles and doubles participants . Georgia’s Women 10 of 12.
Admitting readily my amateur study is questionable, most of my coaching “veterans” concluded, “…that’s about right. “
For 50 plus years any allotment or quota that saved scholarships was dismissed by a lawsuit feared; a threat based on “ discrimination based on national origin. “ Ironically the current administration is taking a strikingly similar position on EDUCATION. Is higher education awarding too many of the best slots to brighter international students ?
How would the current judiciary rule on that? Just saying!
For the MISSING CHART click on the link below or MILESTONES https://littlegreenbookoftennis.com/2025/02/25/milestones/
Scroll to THE REST OF THE STORY, then on down to THE MISSING CHART.
The Little Green Book of Tennis 
Robert Bayliss
Tom,
Thanks for sending this and for championing this cause. If this trend is not reversed soon, this pattern will cause parents to steer their kids into other sports to facilitate their ability to gain a college scholarship. With that incentive no longer valid, numbers of future tennis players will decline. This will greatly affect the popularity of the sport in the US.
I spoke to this decades ago at our ITA Coaches Convention and was told that I was a xenophobe. I had nothing against international players, but wanted coaches to know that they were biting the hand that fed them. Given the current state of intercollegiate athletics today(NIL, etc.) athletics directors are looking for reasons to drop sports. Our coaches are seeking short term success at the expense of long term disaster.
The type of person who seeks a career in coaching is changing today. Our era of coaches were, for the most part, teachers who truly tried to teach and reinforce values and life lessons to ensure that their players were better people when they graduated. My own college experience was so different from what is happening today. Our coach drove a station wagon and could fit himself and exactly 6 players into the car(no substitutes). Two players rode in the front with him(no bucket seats or seat belts in 1964). Three rode in the back seat. The #6 player(me) rode in the back with the balls and equipment and would not think of complaining. Our U of Richmond team would meet at the Field House early on a Saturday morning and drive to a fast food breakfast eaten while driving and then drive to the away venue ( somewhat local….we were in the old Southern Conference). As we got close to the destination we stopped for another fast food meal (McDonald’s) and wolfed down as much as we could eat, then drove to the courts, warmed up, and played the match, only to jump back into the station wagon and proceed homeward, stopping along the way for perhaps another Big Mac and fries. Did I feel shortchanged? Heck no! I was a varsity athlete and damn proud of it!
Those days, sadly, are long gone. You and I, though, were fortunate enough to coach in a golden era, one which might never be replicated. Boy, do I sound old!
Stay well,
Bobby