Will CiCi Bellis’ recent decision to turn professional and forgo college bode well for up and coming junior players or evolve into an all too familiar cautionary tale?

There is a mountain of evidence detailing the difficulties and misfortunes of teenage girls succumbing to the physical and psychological pressures of a grueling tour, not to mention the unjust financial burdens placed upon them by overzealous parents.

In her relatively young career, Catherine Cartan Bellis, just six weeks shy of her eighteenth birthday, continues to make headlines. This week at the Duty Free Tennis Championships in Dubai, the California native defeated former world number two Agnieszka Radwanska in three sets to reach the quarterfinals where she lost to former world number one, Caroline Wozniacki in straight sets.     

Having already won 6 singles and 2 doubles titles on the ITF Tour, Bellis made substantial inroads at her home Slam this past September. After winning three rounds in the US Open qualifying tournament, she reached the third round of the main draw losing in straight sets to eventual champion, Angelique Kerber.

At the age of seventeen, she would capture her first title on the WTA Tour late last season at the Hawaii Tennis Open where she defeated world number twenty-three Zhang Shuai in straight sets. Due to consistent play during the fall season, Bellis finished the year ranked seventy-five making her the only player under the age of 18 in the top one hundred.

Perhaps over-playing at the close of last season, Bellis was sidelined the entire month of January due to a hamstring injury. Her first event of the current season was the Qatar Open and though she lost in the second round of qualifying, she rebounded strongly in her following event in Dubai.

Teenage tennis phenoms had been trending anachronistic. The exceedingly high level of physical and mental prowess required to compete at an elite level season after season has drastically diminished the probability of teenage grand slam champions.

The WTA tour, without question, bears the scars of countless players that were emotionally, psychologically and physically immature and ill-prepared for life on the road. Following the implosions of Andrea Jaeger and Jennifer Capriati to name just two – the tour instituted strict guidelines for professionals under the age of 16.

The WTA Tour’s age-eligibility rules, first implemented in 1995, were designed to limit the number of events entered by players aged fourteen to seventeen. Although their enforcement appears to have curtailed teenage burn-out, it seems to have missed the mark in terms of physical health. Players of all ages must battle and manage injuries and for some, the cycle is endless.

The WTA leadership reserves the right to alter these rules and has repeatedly done so since their inception in 1994. Perhaps a shorter season rather than equal prize money should top their current agenda.

Numerous players – on the WTA and ATP Tours – had their careers cut short due to chronic injuries or illnesses. The Roger Federers’ and Serena Williams’ are unequivocal, exceptions to the rule. Although they are both thirty-five years old, it’s worth noting that Serena missed numerous months on the tour over the course of her career due both to physical ailments and emotional crises. Had she played continuously as has Federer up until his six-month break last summer, she might already be retired.

It is not a coincidence that many players that experienced tremendous success as teenagers, officially retired from the tour before the age of thirty including Gabriela Sabatini who was 27 years old while Steffi Graff and Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario were twenty-nine.

In 1997 at the age of sixteen, Martina Hingis of Switzerland became the youngest woman to win a grand slam title and attain the number one ranking. Within six years of this remarkable achievement, the five-time grand slam champion and Hall of Famer would retire from the game with chronic ankle injuries.

Will the new Swiss Miss, teenage sensation Belinda Bencic, follow in the footsteps of her celebrated compatriot and mentor Martina Hingis? At just 19 years of age, Bencic, with two career WTA tour titles, achieved a career high ranking of 7 in the world in 2016. Due to a flurry of injuries, her ranking has since plummeted to 129.

It remains to be seen whether Cici Bellis will have a long, injury-free and prodigious career or one constrained by the extreme demands of the tour. Perhaps she decided to turn professional at a very young age because she has no intention to compete past the age of twenty-five.

There are numerous paths to grand slam greatness, each with its merits and faults. Some players will peak early, collect their trophies and ride off into the sunset while others mature more slowly and compete well into their thirties.

I guess it’s different strokes for different folks!