GSC offers a flexible and tailored product suited
to individual needs, interests, and ability levels; but this
will be far from a guided tour. This trip structure is not for
everyone. If, however, you have a love of tennis, travel, and
adventure, we look forward to helping you achieve your goals.
GSC
and Your Trip
Trip Parameters
French Tournament Play
European Play outside of France
GSC
and Your Trip
What exactly is GSC doing for me?
GSC is dedicated to helping you experience tournament
tennis while enjoying European travel. GSC provides you with
information, expertise, and contacts gained during our 20 plus
years in Europe. Each week, GSC chooses between dozens of tournaments,
entering and confirming you in the ones that best suit your
goals.
Before arrival, GSC will obtain your French license
and ranking and will arrange initial accommodations and travel
itineraries. Upon arrival, a GSC representative will guide you
through an orientation introducing you to the tennis system
and providing you with the tools and support to travel independently
and enter tournaments.
How will I be in contact with GSC while in France?
During your first days in Paris you will be meeting
face to face with GSC representatives. Once you leave Paris
to play your tournaments you will communicate with GSC through
phone conversations or through mutual voice-mail systems. However,
there will not be a GSC representative travelling with you to
tournaments.
Will I be traveling with a GSC team?
No. GSC's Tournament Connexion helps individuals
compete in tournaments. During any one week, there might
be 30 GSC players arriving in France who will be sent off to
different tournaments depending on their tennis level, surface
preference, and location interests. Most players travel with
a friend from home or a college teammate. The ideal travel size
is two, with four being the maximum that can compete in the
same tournaments, unless players are of very different levels.
GSC can help arrange travel partners for solo players.
Can I really play tennis and travel around France if
I don't speak a foreign language?
GSC will be taking care of the details of your
trip and tournament schedule. GSC will clarify how the tournaments
work, familiarize you with the train and phone systems, and
help you communicate on a basic level. Many French tournaments
are accustomed to accommodating English speaking players, and
GSC will show you how to navigate the French system even if
you do not have the language skills.
How much is all of this going to cost?
This is affected by the length of your trip, extra
travel, # of tournaments you play in, and lifestyle. We estimate
a cost of $3,200 (including airfare and GSC fees) for 5 weeks.
Players with good results, who find frequent housing, will spend
less. Players who seek 4 star hotels and fine French wine will
spend quite a bit more.
Trip
Parameters
How long is the average trip?
4-5 weeks but there is room for flexibility. Some
players have ended up moving to Europe and other trips have
been as short as 2 weeks. Most players choose to play intense
tennis followed by some travel on the back end. In scheduling,
be realistic--traveling and playing competitive tennis is exciting
but it is also grueling.
How will I travel?
Europe has a very efficient rail system that is the common
mode of transportation for all players. Tournaments are usually
willing to pick players up at the station. Renting a car is,
on the other hand, quite expensive and usually limited to drivers
over a certain age. For certain travel destinations youth airfares
are a good option.
Where will I stay?
Some tournaments provide private housing with
families. Top players in large tournaments may be given free
hotel rooms with other players staying in discounted rooms or
at inexpensive hotels. (Unless you have a large budget, a Red
Roof Inn would be a palace compared to most of your hotels in
France). Other tournaments provide dormitory rooms or access
to campsites. GSC uses housing options as a criterion in choosing
your tournaments.
What should I be thinking about when choosing a travel
partner?
Most importantly, your travel partner should be
someone you can get along with. This will be an intense interpersonal
experience very different than spending a few hours together
practicing. Similar tennis levels are helpful for scheduling
tournaments and practice. Comparable budgets also help eliminate
travel stress.
He/she should share similar goals and expectations
for the trip. Some players are more interested in the nightlife
and social aspects of France while others need off-court training
and 25 matches a month. While both are possible, they do not
work well together. Carefully discuss your goals and plans with
your travel partner before leaving. Since men and women play
the same tournaments, choosing a traveling partner of the opposite
sex can also work.
Should my travel partner also be my doubles partner?
In France this is rather moot as there is very
limited doubles play in these tournaments. There may be some
mixed doubles and doubles in limited tournaments, but do not
make plans contingent on extensive doubles play.
What if I'm still in college? Can I accept money?
NCAA rules prohibit performance-based prize money
above expenses. Defining expenses, though, is not easy. GSC
encourages you to review the rules and receive an amateur ITA
release form from your coach.
Can a trip be combined with ATP or WTA events?
Absolutely! There are circuits played throughout
the year in Europe. Each year many GSC clients use European
tournaments to tune-up for a circuit, or to finish up an extended
trip. There are also large numbers of ATP and WTA events played
within France over the summer so you do not even have to leave
the country. The tournaments described in the next section however
are not WTA and ATP events.
French
Tournament Play
When is the best time to go to France to play the tournaments?
Tournaments run throughout the year but most of
the tournaments are in the summer. To maximize tennis and lower
expenses, we recommend arriving in the last week of June. If
you travel between September and mid-June, you will have downtime
during the week, as tournaments take place mostly on the weekends.
In the middle of the Summer tournaments end in the middle of
the week as well, providing more playing opportunities.
Can you explain how the French Tournament System works?
France has more than 5000 three-week long "feed-in"
tournaments each year. Hundreds of players of all levels and
ages compete, with their ranking determining when they begin
play. An event's top-ranked players begin in the quarterfinals
on the Saturday before a Sunday final (2 matches per day). Lower
ranked players begin earlier in the week. Regardless of tournament
size, you will begin tournaments at your own level. This system
creates, in effect, 2-3 day tournaments, which allows players
multiple tournaments in the same week.
What exactly is a French ranking and how will mine be
determined?
France has over 2 million men and women ranked
in 31 ranking categories. Each category, the French word is
classement, has a different starting point in tournament. You
will be entered in your first series of French tournaments with
a tentative ranking determined by your past rankings and results.
Depending on your initial French results, you will then be given
an official ranking higher, lower, or equal to your initial
ranking.
What is GSC's relationship with the French Tennis Federation?
GSC has worked with the Federation for many years
and is recognized as the authority on the correspondence between
the French rankings and player from abroad. Though we do not
make the rankings, we do have a great deal of influence in their
initial determination and in altering them to better reflect
results.
Where in France will I be playing?
Each region of France has dozens of tournaments
during the summer. As in the United States predominant surface
changes by region. If you want to visit a particular region,
you will have the opportunity to play there.
On what surface will I be playing?
You will have the opportunity to play on both
hard courts and clay. If you can play on all surfaces and are
flexible, you will have more options and will travel less between
tournaments.
What will the clubs be like?
Small towns will have 2-4 municipal courts and
a little clubhouse, and there are also tournaments at the Monte-Carlo
country club and other posh settings. The interest in you and
the tournament may be inversely related to the grandeur of the
club and the town.
What level of competition will I be facing and where
will they be coming from?
Tournaments are very international and can attract
players ranked in the top 150 in the world. Along with French
players there will be Aussies, South Africans, Argentineans,
and many others. Tournaments range in size and level of competition.
You may begin one tournament in the round of 256 and your next
tournament in the quarter-finals.
If I am eligible for money, how much can I make in these
tournaments?
This is dependent on level of play, results, and
objectives. A top 50 level college player or a world-ranked
player, can have a reasonable goal of earning $500 per week.
Breaking even is an ambitious weekly goal for most players.
European
Play outside of France
What if I want to play in other countries?
There are opportunities to play throughout Europe,
and GSC has the contacts and expertise to arrange tournaments
in multiple European countries. France does have the best system
and the most tournaments, but GSC can tailor a trip to meet
all of your travel goals. Talk it over with us and we will see
if your plans are workable.
Are the tennis systems in other countries the same as
the French system?
No. The major difference is that other countries
use a draw system similar to that found in the United States
with all of the players beginning in the first round, with qualifying
for certain spots in the draw. Dutch tournaments do have a flighted
system allowing each player to enter into an A or B draw which
is run as a US tournament.
Is English more widely spoken in some of these countries?
Absolutely. In Holland and Germany for example,
you can do just fine with only English, and the Swiss and the
Belgians also speak quite a bit better English than the French.
Will I need an additional ranking to play in other countries?
Each country has a different ranking and license
system for players to play tournaments. For Full Package clients,
GSC will obtain the necessary rankings and licenses for you.
Some countries do not accept US rankings or results, so in these
countries you will always be placed in the qualifying draw or
need a wildcard.
What surfaces will I play on outside of France?
Most other European countries hold their tournaments
almost exclusively on clay courts, with the exception of the
UK which offers hard-court options as well as grass court tennis.
Can I play more doubles outside of France?
There are generally better opportunities to play
doubles in other European countries. Holland, for instance,
has a doubles component to each of its events, often including
a mixed doubles event.
Should I plan to play money tournaments outside of France?
Tournaments outside of France are typically more
difficult to schedule smoothly into a European trip as organizers
are not as accustomed to accommodating foreign players. Another
drawback is tournament length. While French tournaments can
be played in a few days, weeklong tournaments outside of France
mean that a loss early in the week will be followed by downtime.
We suggest that players use France as their base, while making
an occasional trip to tournaments in other countries if they
want to have a more varied cultural experience.
