Talking Tennis with… Sarah Borwell, founder of Tennis Smart
Sarah competing at the 2009 US Open.
We talk to the former GB number 1 doubles player Sarah Borwell about her tennis career, and how she now helps British juniors apply for tennis placements at US universities…
“Going to an American university was life changing for me. It was the place where I fell in love with tennis… and only then did my game take off.”
As a professional tennis player Sarah Borwell competed in every Grand Slam, represented Great Britain at the Fed Cup and was Britain’s number 1 doubles player. She also medalled at the Commonwealth Games and reached a career high ranking of 199 in singles and 65 in doubles.
For Sarah it all started with a decision to go to an American university, and she never looked back. Now based in Maryland, she’s helping other young British players to achieve their dreams on and off the court through her brilliant agency Tennis Smart – a company which supports, guides and advises juniors and their families who are considering the US college system.
In this exclusive Q&A Sarah talks us through everything a young player and their parents need to know about crossing the pond to play tennis…
Tell us a little about your tennis background… When did you first fall in love with the game?
As a highly energised young girl from Middlesbrough my parents got me into a lot of different sports, but about five minutes from our house was a brand new indoor tennis club called Tennis World and it became my second home. I was so lucky with it; I just remember it being a really fun, family-orientated club, with loads of juniors playing with lots of young, passionate, dynamic and hard working coaches. There was a great social element to it as well, I made so many friends.
It was this social side that kept me in the sport because I didn’t particularly enjoy it, I found competing very stressful and anxiety ridden. It wasn’t until I decided to go to an American university and I took the pressure off myself that I started to see good results. The experience was life changing for me.
I graduated after five years and during that time had great success on the court - I reached top 10 in the country for singles, 12 for doubles and decided to transition out to the professional tour where I competed for about 10 years. I ended up doing really well considering I was never a player who previously loved the game much or played much on the junior circuit, and I completely put this down to my decision to go out to America.
Why did you end up choosing an American university?
Back then, going to America was the only route where I could keep my tennis going whilst also getting a degree so I went for it.
I ended up out there because I enjoyed team orientated tennis; I loved County Week and the social aspect of the game, not the competition or the stress of matches, but just being around friends. In America, I finally felt that I had that all the time and found my group in life of like-minded people who I felt confident with.
How did your company Tennis Smart begin?
It came from my own experience with applying for an American university. I didn’t really know what I was doing, there was no internet back then or easy access to information, so I just went with a close connection my coach at the time had with Rice University and went there – not really knowing how I got there or if it was even right for me.
I realised after a few months though that Rice wasn’t for me. Academically I was really struggling and felt like I couldn’t survive. After a year, I moved to the University of Houston where my best friend was, I found I could cope with the academic demands much better and that was when my tennis really took off.
So it was really this lack of understanding of the universities and not having the knowledge to choose the right one. Also whilst I was there, the lack of support available to me was tough - I wish I had someone to talk things through with and have someone give me some more knowledge and understanding of the options I had with my tennis.
After my degree, I went to play on the professional tour and it was then that I began to start helping and give guidance to other British juniors who were in the same boat as me when I was 18 - I didn’t want them to struggle like I did.
When my playing career was then transitioning to become a doubles specialist, I felt that I had a lot more time on my hands and I wanted to give something back to the sport. I approached Carl Maes at the LTA to see if I could help set up a programme for them. I realised I had helped quite a lot of players over the years with the next steps in their tennis and had really enjoyed it. So over the next few years while on the tour, I slowly built up my reputation for helping British juniors. Brainstorming the name of my company during Wimbledon 2011 with Eleanor Preston, (Co-founder of The Emilia Group and former Guardian journalist), the name Tennis Smart was born.
In my first year as a retired tour player, working at Tennis Smart I placed 45 players and at our height we have placed 105 – something I’m really proud of.
Sarah’s first promo video for Tennis Smart.
How does Tennis Smart help young British tennis players and their parents?
We help them throughout the whole application and placement, and then while the player is in university too. I like to give families as much information and support so the student can make the right decision regarding the right pathway for their own development and then making sure they have all the support they need as they pursue it.
And we’re very hands on when it comes to their transition out of university too. At the moment for example, we have about eight players on the professional tour who are doing really well, and we have helped players to work as journalists at a newspaper or getting an internship at The White House…
The one thing I’ve found tough with it though is doing it all on my own. I have collaborated over the years with my friend Stewart Stanbra who was the director of CSUSA, one of the biggest placement companies, which has been great because we have the same philosophy of really wanting to help student athletes in doing the right thing by them.
…And you’ve recently merged with CSUSA and Keystone Education which now makes you part of Keystone Sports…
Yes which is really exciting! Keystone Education is a huge company, so now I’ve got a really big team behind me which means I can offer the same personal service with the player’s actual placement, but also an even better, more hands on service when the student is in university and transitioning out.
I have always supported my players through their university career but now once they’re in university, they're going to be part of a huge network and a team behind them; whether it’s helping them turn professional like I did, or helping them find jobs when they leave. They’ll have access to webinars of how to construct their CV or how to interview, they’ll be introduced to people in their field or be given media training, or perhaps learn how to find an agent… the list goes on, and it's just a really great way of helping support players as much as possible throughout the important and sometimes difficult transitions in life.
It’s something I’ve always dreamed of doing with Tennis Smart but never quite had the manpower before to make it happen, but now with Keystone it can work.
What makes Tennis Smart different to other agencies that might offer similar services?
Tennis Smart was the first placement company in the world to only look at one sport and to only look at one nationality, whereas a lot of other placement companies would do all sports and they would help all nationalities. And we’re different because we were the first, so we were the blueprint for what others have come to copy, which is great because I can’t help everyone and it’s brilliant other companies have set something up to help British junior tennis players .
My first goal was always to help stop the 50% drop out rate, and I felt making the pathways clearly available for these players was the key to helping with that issue. So to only focus solely on British tennis, it helped me forge a path in college placement which made me a leader in the world of tennis recruitment.
What benefits can a young British tennis player gain by going to an American university rather than staying in the UK system?
I like America because a lot of the time it is free for girls so it’s good to know you’ll come out with no debt and it offers a wonderful bridge to the next journey in your life. America really takes you away from home too which can be great for growing your independence.
Generally the US also tends to be on the other end of the spectrum with being overly positive and happy to shout about success. A little different to the British pessimism and reserved nature, so I think it's a nice blend between a British personality and American. I also think the networking potential in America is a little bit better, especially if you're a student athlete.
But there are certainly tough parts too; the American University tennis circuit, particularly in Division I, is a bit more stressful than the UK. The environment over there demands winning and if you don't win, there can be problems with that so it’s extremely pressurized. But it is what you make of it. There are so many different divisions and levels of tennis in America to choose from you can really package up what you want with what you are capable of or what you would enjoy.
So America is definitely not for everyone, but equally British universities aren’t for everyone, students just have to find the right one for them. As a company I look at both options really closely, as well as two others for my players as well. So there are the two university options, but also we look at staying in the tennis industry, as well as turning pro. We want everyone to be aware of all four and be aware of what they need to achieve in order to make each of them a possibility.
Sarah standing alongside a group of her Tennis Smart players.
What are the essential requirements a British player needs to apply to Tennis Smart and an American college?
There are so many different variables, it depends on every player and university, so it’s important that you gather as much information as you can, watch our webinars for example so you know what you need to achieve before applying.
Talking generally though, for girls of an 8 UTR or higher, the opportunities of a full tennis scholarship are quite high so the player and parents wouldn't have to worry much about the financial aspect of it. But if they are below an 8 UTR, then the academic side becomes very important and good grades are vital in order to receive a larger scholarship offer.
For boys however, it’s extremely rare to get a full scholarship. So getting good grades is critical to open up more tennis doors - you're basically going to have to get an academic scholarship and an athletic scholarship together if you are working within a budget.
What sort of budget would parents need to consider for a university placement via Tennis Smart? And do the universities offer scholarships or other financial support for parents?
The higher your UTR, the better the tennis opportunities for you.
If you’re a girl below an 8 UTR, it's always nice to have a minimum $10,000 budget. But I always say to my players, especially the boys that if you have a $15,000 budget, we can definitely make something out there happen.
The better you are at tennis, the higher you play on the team, the more athletic money you're going to get, and the same goes for the better you are academically, the more academic money you can get. So it doesn't necessarily mean you'll pay the full $15,000 - I have a few guys who are amazing both with their tennis and academics so are on full scholarships, but I also have guys who are paying $40,000.
In Division I and II, you have opportunities to receive academic and athletic scholarships. Division III tends to be a bit different – students receive financial aid based on their household income. So there are a lot of different options there based on the financials of the parents.
This is something we make sure families are aware of right from the start; we never want anyone to start the process unless they know exactly what to expect so they can weigh up whether it’s worthwhile applying or perhaps instead looking at a different pathway.
What are the biggest challenges that players and parents need to address when considering the US college route - and how do you support them?
Once the students are there, the first semester can be very challenging for them. I become an agony aunt in the October time when midterms are happening and the tennis is starting to tail off a little bit. Students begin to realize that they’re in America and start to get a bit homesick and question whether they made the right decision.
It’s a challenging time for them; the academics are demanding; unlike British universities you’re expected to attend class and get good grades as the coach will be reviewing them every few weeks. The tennis schedule is tough to manage too – you might be up at 6am and not back until 8pm, you’re travelling competing every weekend so there is a lot to balance.
Generally I have good relationships with a lot of the coaches out there though and they rarely contact the parents so will come to me if one of my players is causing problems and I can talk to the player and vice versa, if the player is struggling, I can always talk to the coach as well. So it's just a good support system for everyone to help the player through the change.
What should interested parents do next to find out more?
For parents we have a lot of really good brochures, as well as live presentations with Q&A’s to help give out as much information as possible.
The presentations are great, for both parents and players – families can see all the fantastic opportunities available for their future, giving them an option that they can stay in our brilliant sport for as long as possible whilst also doing well with school.
What do you most enjoy about your work?
I love supporting student athletes and as a result, seeing the rising number of British tennis players staying in the sport. I love that light bulb moment I give them when they learn there are so many great options available to them just by playing tennis and staying in school which they never previously knew about. OK maybe they aren’t going to be the next Andy Murray, but they can go to college and be one of the best players there, thrive in a team and have so much fun for four years all whilst getting a degree.
What are your proudest achievements with Tennis Smart?
Firstly the name! Everyone seems to like Tennis Smart. I feel so proud seeing where my players end up too - I've got players working at Wimbledon, The White House and the Guardian newspaper, some have even got albums out or are acting now – they’re all achieving such brilliant things in so many different fields and I love that I was a part of their journey.
But also being the first placement company to identify that there was an issue with the 50% drop out rate for British tennis players, and being the first placement company to come up with an idea to help stop it. For that idea to grow and for other people to copy it and want to do the same thing in order to help people – it’s a huge honour and I’m so proud of that.
If every single British junior tennis player could feel as though they have enough knowledge of each pathway available to them, and they feel supported in order to find that right one for them, I think we have succeeded.
Learn more about the pathways Tennis Smart makes available to British tennis players.
For more about Tennis Smart visit www.tennissmart.net or say hello to Sarah on Twitter.
We’d love to share more stories from people who love tennis! If you - or someone you know - would like to be featured in a Talking Tennis Q&A, please drop us a line at lizzie@talkingtennis.co.uk