The Sacramento Bee has a good feature on Scoville Jenkins' first year as a tennis pro: Facing the best serves him well (registration required)
"Being a pro is a lot tougher than I thought it would be," said the 19-year-old, who has yet to win one of those minor-league events. "These are grown men out there, and they're doing this for a living. They are trying to beat me as bad as they can."
Jenkins admits that the constant travel and pressure to win is a grind. But those are dues he's willing to pay.
"You have to love the game to do it, and I do or else I wouldn't be out there," he said. "It just comes with the territory."...
Discounting the $25,000 he collected for his two matches at the U.S. Open, a year on the circuit has earned him only $23,500, including a $200 paycheck for a tournament played in the Middle East nation of Qatar and $425 from his appearance last June in Chico. Big-time sports riches seem a long way off.
But his progress soon will be bankrolled by an endorsement deal with Reebok, said his agent, Tom Ross, senior vice president of the Octagon sports manangment group. Ross would not provide specifics, but the deal is thought to be in the six figures annually, with performance bonuses.
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