Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community - View Single Post

dash_pinched · 03-03-2019, 01:09 PM

Nice article on Brayden Schnur discussing his upbringing and how he played both soccer and tennis growing up, financial struggles on the Futures Tour, and how much the National Tennis Centre helped develop his tennis game.

After training in Bradenton, Schnur moved back to participate in Tennis Canada’s National Training Centre in Montreal. Founded by world renowned coach Louis Borfiga, the training centre’s mission was to provide aspiring Canadian tennis players resources, coaches and facilities to one day succeed professionally. While in Montreal, Schnur was taken under Guillaume Marx’s wing. Marx used to coach Milos Raonic and is now the full-time coach of Felix Auger-Aliassime. Schnur credits Marx for being critical in giving him the confidence to unleash his serve and ground strokes, while also paying respect to the National Training Centre as a whole for efficiently utilizing its resources to produce top Canadian talent, including Filip Peliwo and Felix Auger-Aliassime.

“Guillaume was a fantastic coach while I was here in Montreal and really helped me with my game,” says Schnur. “Since the development of the National Training Centre, tennis has skyrocketed in Canada. It demonstrates that you don’t need the biggest country and lots of money to develop elite tennis players. The Centre has everything we need and despite playing inside six months of the year, the coaches and the people that the team put together are huge reasons why Tennis Canada has been so successful.”

His first Futures Tournament win came in Calgary in August of 2013, where he defeated fellow Canadian Philip Bester in three tight sets, 7-6 (7-5), 3-6, 7-6 (7-4). It would be the first of two Futures victories for Schnur in Calgary, adding to his five total tournament wins on that tour. He recalls lifting the trophy in Calgary with tremendous pride and joy for his country.

“Anywhere in Canada is home to me. I love Calgary as a city. It’s the first moment that I saw where I can go as a professional and what I can actually do.”

But when Schnur turned pro, he realized quickly the demanding realities of trying to maintain financial success on the Tour. The narrative seems simple: win matches to make more money. But what complicates this reality is the portrayal of tennis players communicated to the public. When we watch tennis tournaments on TV, and witness the players’ lives on social media, it paints a false narrative that all professional tennis players live an opulent, lavish lifestyle.

For players like Brayden Schnur, trying to increase their ranking professionally by playing on the Challenger and Future Tours, there is often financial insecurity. Players have to pay out of pocket for expenses. There aren’t the fancy cars or upscale hotels. It’s this struggle and adversity, according to Schnur, that made him vow not to remain in the Futures Tour, with the hope of garnering more success at the ATP level.

“Playing on the Futures is the biggest grind in all of tennis,” states Schnur. “I would rent a car and drive around Florida playing tournaments. There were times where I checked into my hotel for a tournament. Then, checked out the next day, because if I lost in the tournament, I would not have to pay an extra night because money was low. There is no skipping the Futures Tour. But knowing the grind I went through and conquered, it motivates me to play every match with the highest level and intensity.”

https://lastwordontennis.com/2019/03...ur-atp-canada/

03-03-2019, 01:09 PM	#1060
dash_pinched Franchise Player Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Maple Bay, B.C. Exp:	Nice article on Brayden Schnur discussing his upbringing and how he played both soccer and tennis growing up, financial struggles on the Futures Tour, and how much the National Tennis Centre helped develop his tennis game. After training in Bradenton, Schnur moved back to participate in Tennis Canada’s National Training Centre in Montreal. Founded by world renowned coach Louis Borfiga, the training centre’s mission was to provide aspiring Canadian tennis players resources, coaches and facilities to one day succeed professionally. While in Montreal, Schnur was taken under Guillaume Marx’s wing. Marx used to coach Milos Raonic and is now the full-time coach of Felix Auger-Aliassime. Schnur credits Marx for being critical in giving him the confidence to unleash his serve and ground strokes, while also paying respect to the National Training Centre as a whole for efficiently utilizing its resources to produce top Canadian talent, including Filip Peliwo and Felix Auger-Aliassime. “Guillaume was a fantastic coach while I was here in Montreal and really helped me with my game,” says Schnur. “Since the development of the National Training Centre, tennis has skyrocketed in Canada. It demonstrates that you don’t need the biggest country and lots of money to develop elite tennis players. The Centre has everything we need and despite playing inside six months of the year, the coaches and the people that the team put together are huge reasons why Tennis Canada has been so successful.” His first Futures Tournament win came in Calgary in August of 2013, where he defeated fellow Canadian Philip Bester in three tight sets, 7-6 (7-5), 3-6, 7-6 (7-4). It would be the first of two Futures victories for Schnur in Calgary, adding to his five total tournament wins on that tour. He recalls lifting the trophy in Calgary with tremendous pride and joy for his country. “Anywhere in Canada is home to me. I love Calgary as a city. It’s the first moment that I saw where I can go as a professional and what I can actually do.” But when Schnur turned pro, he realized quickly the demanding realities of trying to maintain financial success on the Tour. The narrative seems simple: win matches to make more money. But what complicates this reality is the portrayal of tennis players communicated to the public. When we watch tennis tournaments on TV, and witness the players’ lives on social media, it paints a false narrative that all professional tennis players live an opulent, lavish lifestyle. For players like Brayden Schnur, trying to increase their ranking professionally by playing on the Challenger and Future Tours, there is often financial insecurity. Players have to pay out of pocket for expenses. There aren’t the fancy cars or upscale hotels. It’s this struggle and adversity, according to Schnur, that made him vow not to remain in the Futures Tour, with the hope of garnering more success at the ATP level. “Playing on the Futures is the biggest grind in all of tennis,” states Schnur. “I would rent a car and drive around Florida playing tournaments. There were times where I checked into my hotel for a tournament. Then, checked out the next day, because if I lost in the tournament, I would not have to pay an extra night because money was low. There is no skipping the Futures Tour. But knowing the grind I went through and conquered, it motivates me to play every match with the highest level and intensity.” https://lastwordontennis.com/2019/03...ur-atp-canada/ Last edited by dash_pinched; 03-03-2019 at 01:28 PM.