As a pro tennis player should you manage yourself or hire an agent?

You want to be in control at all times when it comes to managing your career.

However, as someone with loads of agency experience I don't think that's the best decision for you to make - because as an athlete you're always going to want to perform and you're going to want to play tennis. It may not always be in your best interest to do so, because it could exacerbate any injuries you have at times and cause further complications and delays that could put you out for even longer, or even worse you could suffer further injuries as a result of not taking care of the original ones. The best thing to do is to let someone else handle the decisions about where you should play, when you should play, and what's best during your season.

Just as you'd hire a coach to improve your game, or a nutritionist to improve your diet, hiring a manager (or an agency) will help you with managing your career.

How do you know when you've found a good tennis agent?

Your manager is going to want you to attend various applications where you are sponsors and for the people who are endorsing you this will often conflict with your tennis schedule. You may not have  enough time to make it to the tournament, you may not have enough time to practice before our tournament so that you're properly prepared and as a result you could end up falling in the rankings (which in turn affects the amount of bonuses you'll receive and number of sponsors you'll get) as well as the amount of money that you'll make from those sponsors. There's a lot of benefits that are based on your rankings and if you're unable to play then you're unable to compete in tournaments earn points and move up the rankings.

Naturally there's a conflict between the Players interests, the Management's interest, and the Agents interests. From a career standpoint it may seem to make the most sense to follow what your agent wants you to do.  Because the agency is making you the most money and if you look at the highest paid tennis players most of them received the majority of their income from endorsements. However, as I stated earlier, if you're unable to have enough time to practice,  or you don't have enough time to recover from injuries, then everything will suffer including Your sponsorship opportunities. It's in everyone on your teams best interest for you to be in the best health possible and perform at your peak which is something to keep in mind when you're looking for an agent. You'll have to make sure they understand the rigorous schedule that you're used to and you'll want them to meet your needs.

Look for a tennis agency that has your best interests in mind.

One of the things I like about elite tennis agency is that they're player focused. Many agents say they have the players best interest in mind, but do they practice what they preach? Often times you'll see their players attending events when you know they shouldn't be taking the time away from touring and as an athlete you know you don't want to be stuck in those same positions catering to what the agency wants instead of doing what it takes to further your tennis career. Part of what makes this agency different that most is they started out of the needs for players first and later started looking at marketing their agency which is why they're only now starting to gain traction with their marketing campaigns and people are hearing about them.