The realm of professional tennis is intensely lucrative, but equally as competitive and difficult. There are literally thousands of tennis players in the world, both men and women, who are all struggling to make ends meet playing tennis professionally and full-time. As a result, even for the most promising tennis talents, you will need to know the intricacies of the tour if you wish to know how to play tennis professionally.

While certain players are lucky enough to get wild card entries into major tournaments, and begin a career in that way, the vast majority of players have to work their way through the lower runs of the competitive circuit, starting with the International Tennis Federation, the ITF, which manages the lowest level of professional competition. Extensive experience with junior tennis level play is also a great asset to have when playing professionally; in fact, in the modern game, all successful players have participated at the junior level for the better part of their teenage years. Playing professional tennis, it should be noted, is not on the whole a money-making endeavor; the expenses of playing on tour are enormous, which include equipment, coaching, and travel fees. But the tantalizing prospects of becoming the world's next Roger Federer or Steffi Graf, of course, speak for themselves.

1. Being an individual sport, you don't get drafted by a college or a team in tennis. You earn your own ranking points and prize money. To play professionally, all across the world, you will need to participate in the International Tennis Federation- the "minor leagues" of tennis- before you will be able to make your way in the Association of Tennis Professionals, or the Women's Tennis Association- the "major leagues."
2. If you are a high level junior- that is, below the age of 18, you should play ITF junior tournaments first, before attempting to go join the adult tour outright. Nearly all pros, including Federer and Nadal, played extensively at the junior level before going pro. This is because junior tournaments allow you to test your level and improve against fellow juniors, to give you a feel for the competition you will need to beat to excel. ITF tournaments are held all over the world; look up on their website, ITFtennis.com, to see if there is a tournament nearby that you can play. You may have to travel, of course.www.itftennis.com
3. Once you have had your fill of the junior tournaments, or if you have already passed that age, you should try and break out in the developmental pro leagues of tennis. For male players, this is the ITF Futures tour, part of the Men's Circuit. There are hundreds of Futures tournaments being held all across the world, and they have qualifying draws so that players without ranking points can still attempt to make it to the draw. If you succeed at the Futures level, you will win some prize money (average $10,000 USD for winners), and more importantly, ATP ranking points. Although the number of ranking points is comparatively small you will need to get yourself on the board before attempting to enter the Challenger Tour, the next step to hitting the major ATP Tour events. Check the ITF website link here, to see if there is a Futures tournament being held nearby. Ranking points awarded to winners of Futures tournaments usually range from 17 to 33.http://www.itftennis.com/mens/tournaments/
4. For female players, you will be playing in the ITF Women's Circuit. This is basically the equivalent of the Men's circuit, with hundreds of tournaments around the world. The difference is that you will be earning WTA ranking points. Look up here to see if there is a tournament near you.http://www.itftennis.com/womens/tournaments/

1. For male players, you will likely have to advance through an additional tour before going on to participate in the ATP. This is the ATP Challenger Tour.
2. To play in the Challengers, you will need to have had some success already in the Futures circuit, with a world ranking of at least 500. Challenger events are worth more ATP ranking points, and the prize money for champions is worth more as well, ranging from $25,000 USD to $150,000 USD. As of 2008, there were 178 Challenger events that year being held in 48 countries. Winners of Challenger events earn 75 to 125 Ranking points.
3. To succeed you must plan your schedule so that you can participate in the maximum number of Challenger events as possible. This is because your world ranking is based on your accumulated points over the last 52 weeks, and by playing in a large number of Challengers, you will gain points very quickly, regardless of your success. This means naturally that you will be doing a great deal of traveling. Try and do your best in each tournament, but keep your mentality so that you can persevere through a grueling season that lasts for an entire year.http://www.atpworldtour.com/3/en/tournaments/challenger/
4. At the Challenger level, you may be playing athletes who previously held a top 100 rank, or still do, who have dropped from the ATP Tour proper due to injury or poor play. Suffice it to say, your opponents will be far more experienced and seasoned than the Futures players. Be on your guard for every round, and battle for your life against each opponent.

1. If you are have succeeded at the Challenger level, you will be ready to participate in the ATP Tour. Ideally you should have a top 100 ranking at this point, since players ranked outside the top 100 typically still play Challenger events.
2. First you should attempt to try out the ATP World Tour 250 series. These involve 40 annual tournaments across the globe, and is the lowest tier on the ATP Tour. 250 points are given to the winner of each singles event.
3. Next, try and qualify for the ATP World Tour 500 series. These are 11 tournaments where the winner receives 500 points each.http://www.atpworldtour.com/.
4. If you have managed to succeed in the 500 tour, move on to the 1000 series, known as the Masters series.These are nine highly prestigious tournaments where the winner receives 1000 ATP ranking points. Grand Slams are the next highest level of competitive play, but since there are only four of them per year, it is imperative to perform well in the 1000 series to become a successful pro and maintain your ranking.
5. All tournament info for all Tour events can be located here

1. For female players, the WTA tour is the next and final step in competitive play after the ITF circuit.
2. You should try and qualify for the WTA's International Tournaments; there are 31 annually worldwide, with a total amount of prize money of $220,000, as well as 280 WTA ranking points for the winner.
3. Premier tournaments are the next step up. These are ten tournaments per year where the total prize money ranges from $600,000 to $1 million, and 470 ranking points for the winner.
4. Next are the Premier 5 tournaments, which are five tournaments each worth $2 million total. Winners of Premier 5 tournaments earn 900 points.
5. Finally, after upping your ranking, you will be able to qualify for the Premier Mandatory events. These are four combined tournaments with a male draw where the total prize money is worth $4.5 million dollars, and the winner receiving 1000 ranking points. With success at this level, you will certainly be able to qualify for Grand Slams, which are worth 2000 ranking points for the winner, and $1 million in prize money for the winner alone.
6. All tournament info for the WTA tour is available . /0,,12781,00.html here Best of luck, and keep living the dream! http://www.sonyericssonwtatour.com/page/Tournaments/0,,12781,00.html