Markus Schiller stands before a half-empty cart of tennis balls, his shirt off and baseball cap turned backward. He squints into the afternoon sun, rocks back on his heels and goes into his windup.
The serve he knocks out thuds against the canvas at the other end of the court with a resounding thwack. Almost before that ball can hit the ground, Schiller is getting ready to serve again.
The Oregon men’s tennis team’s season may be over, but Schiller is still hard at work.
After four seasons of collegiate tennis, the 24-year-old German will now put his skills to the ultimate test- going pro.
“I played in some pro tournaments in Europe before I decided to go to college in the U.S.,” said Schiller, who transferred to Oregon after playing one season with the Auburn Tigers. “I had an OK time, but I knew I was going to have to get a lot better to really make the jump to play well at the pro level.”
Schiller has roped in Oregon assistant coach Armando Espinosa to help him fine-tune his skills and prepare for the higher level of competition he will face on the professional circuit.
“Armando and I just work together really well. He helped me a lot both privately and in practice, especially when I played in the pro tournament in Hawaii in the fall,” Schiller said.
If all goes well, Espinosa will travel with Schiller this summer as the senior gets his first taste of full-time professional play.
“I think Markus is talented enough to do well on the circuit,” said
Espinosa, who joined the Oregon coaching staff last fall. “I’ve seen top level players, and they don’t hit the ball any bigger than Markus. They just hit the ball three times more than Markus (currently) does.
“In terms of ability, it’s not really that big a jump from the collegiate level. But it’s more of a mental thing. You have to compete day in, day out at a constant high level. So we’re going to work on his consistency, and I also want to get him more comfortable at the net.”
Currently, Schiller’s big forehand and power serve are the two most effective weapons in his arsenal.
“Those are the two shots that stand out on the scouting reports that other teams have on me, anyway,” Schiller said, grinning.
But in Espinosa’s estimation, Schiller’s determination and competitiveness are two important intangibles that might help him find success on the pro tour.
“I think what matters is your drive and how competitive you are. If you believe you can do it, you’re going to try your hardest to do so,” Espinosa said. “I think Markus is very competitive, and he’s gonna try and find a way to win.”
Schiller intends to start playing in Futures tournaments in Germany in June. According to Schiller, Futures tournaments – where the prize money amount caps off at about $15,000 – are the lowest rung on the professional tennis circuit ladder. They are the tournaments that aspiring professionals cut their teeth on before advancing to play in the Challengers (up to $25,000 in prize money) and then in tournaments at the Grand Prix level, where winners pocket amounts in excess of $400,000. These are the tournaments that are usually broadcast on TV.
Before any aspiring professional can reach those lofty heights, they have to first be able to sustain themselves on the tour long enough to see success. With lodging, travel expenses and equipment costs to juggle, that can often become very expensive.
In light of that, Schiller’s current plan is to play in various open tournaments this spring and make some money to help offset the cost of starting out as a professional player.
“Open tournaments are tournaments where players can play to win money. For example, this weekend, I’ll be playing in a prize money tournament down in San Francisco,” Schiller said. “Hopefully I’ll be able to pick up some cash on the open circuit.”
As of May 2006, Schiller’s world rank for singles was 1,522, according to the INDESIT ATP rankings on the ATP tennis Web site. In doubles, Schiller is ranked 861, thanks in part to a productive fall campaign in which he got to the semifinals of the doubles draw at the Honolulu Futures tournament in Hawaii.
Despite the success he saw playing doubles with ex-Duck Sven Swinnen in Hawaii, Schiller says he’ll probably focus more on his singles career for now.
“It’s hard to get a regular doubles partner (in the pros) because everyone travels on their own schedule,” Schiller said. “My plan right now is to focus on singles, try this out for half a year or a year, and just be really committed to it.
“It’s not so much about getting unbelievable results as it is about me having already put this much effort into tennis all my life. I don’t want to just give it up now.”
Schiller first got into tennis at the age of 12.
“I was a product of the tail end of the ‘Becker Boom’ in Germany,” said Schiller, referring to the tennis craze that swept over Germany after tennis icon Boris Becker won Wimbledon in 1985, at the age of 17. “I didn’t do any sports before I picked up tennis. I was really uncoordinated.
“But one day I just picked up a racket and started hitting against the wall. I went to my dad and said I wanted to play tennis. I took lessons, they found out that I had talent, and in a couple of years, I got to the level where I was able to play in tournaments.”
In the world of professional tennis, where players often start training at the elite academies from the time they are able to read, this means that Schiller got a pretty late start in the game. That could put him slightly behind his peers in terms of on-court experience, but right now Schiller believes that late start is working to his advantage.
“I think that’s why I’m not burned out yet,” he said. “I’m at a point now where I’m just really, really motivated and happy to play.”
Schiller says that even if a player never makes it into the elite ranks of the Grand Slam circle to duke it out with superstars like Roger Federer and Andre Agassi, it’s still possible to make enough money to support himself and keep playing.
“You can make a living as a tennis player if you’re in the top 200 in the world,” Schiller said. “You’re not going to get rich at that level, but it would probably be enough to keep you going.”
And even if his pro career never takes off, Schiller has a backup plan to fall back on.
“That’s why I’m getting my degree,” said Schiller, a political science major who will be graduating in the fall. “I want to see how far I can take (the whole pro tennis idea), but if that doesn’t work out, I intend of go to grad school in Germany and get my masters in business. And of course, coaching’s always an option too.”
Schiller will be the third Duck in two years to turn pro. Oregon tennis alums Sven Swinnen and Manuel Kost spent this year competing on the professional circuit. Schiller said Kost is “struggling, but working hard and trying his best.” According to Espinosa, Swinnen recently qualified for a Futures tournament in Mexico.