As more top players opt for college, Virginia emerges as a tennis dynasty

University of Virginia men's tennis coach Brian Boland warms up a player while Michael Shabaz of Fairfax practices serving before a match against Cornell at the Boar's Head Sports Club in Charlottesville last week. (Norm Shafer For The Washington Post)

It costs roughly $143,000 a year to compete on the pro tour, with travel expenses and coaching fees accounting for the bulk of that.

To simply break even financially, a male tennis pro in 2009 had to be ranked 164th or higher.

Most aspiring pros never approach that level, however, slugging away instead in the Futures and Challenger ranks, the sport's minor leagues, trying to earn enough points just to be granted entry into tournaments that feature Federer and Nadal.

Virginia senior Michael Shabaz of Fairfax sampled the lifestyle first-hand, taking a year off after high school to compete in the pro ranks as an amateur.

Shabaz had the credentials to believe he was ready, having won the 2005 Wimbledon boys' doubles title with Jesse Levine. He soon realized otherwise.

"You go from playing the Grand Slams as a junior to playing in Arlington, Texas, where you have all of three fans watching your quarterfinal match and the courts are beaten down," Shabaz said. "I found that at age 17, 18, 19, you're not mature enough physically or mentally when you're playing guys at 26 and 27, week to week. You're by yourself. It's not very glamorous at all."

So he enrolled at Virginia and says he hasn't regretted a day since, regaining his love of tennis while becoming a better player through all the university has to offer: committed coaches, physical trainers, sports psychologists, massage therapists and close-knit teammates willing to hit balls or hang out seven days a week.

"I've been there, playing eight hours a day, being drilled like a robot [as an amateur on the pro tour], and I really do believe it wears you out," Shabaz said. "You literally become a robot; you just hit balls to hit balls. Now, I can honestly say that when I go to class, hang out with my friends and take a step away, it helps me because when I get back on court, I focus."

An anthropology major, Shabaz teamed with Drew Courtney of Clifton last season to win the NCAA doubles championship.

In August they played the top-ranked doubles team of Bob and Mike Bryan at Washington's Legg Mason Tennis Classic. After graduation, Shabaz intends to turn pro, joining former Cavalier Somdev Devvarman of India on the tour.

Virginia's 13-man squad features six international players; 6-7 freshman Alex Domijan, the nation's most coveted recruit; and three players from the Washington area (Shabaz, Courtney and freshman Justin Shane of Falls Church).

This fall they'll be joined by Mitchell Frank of Annandale, who trained at the Junior Tennis Champions Center in College Park and has reached No. 5 in the world junior rankings.

"My goal is still obviously to become a very successful professional tennis player," said 18-year-old Frank, 6-1 and 160 pounds. "But it's very tough with how physical the game is right now to make it right away when you're still a little child compared to the rest of the guys out there."

After visiting Duke and Texas A&M, Frank accepted a scholarship from Virginia primarily, he says, because of the seriousness with which the coaches and players treat the sport.

Nonetheless, Boland routinely urges players to develop themselves off the court, whether in class or the university community, with as much passion as they do on the court. That's key to what he believes helps fashion "a complete player."

"The minute you lose them emotionally - or their love of the game declines - they can no longer develop their skills at the highest level," Boland said. "That's when you see a lot of burnout and disinterest, and they're playing for all the wrong reasons."