I wasn’t a world beater by any stretch of the imagination but I gave my life to tennis. I’ve decided to write a piece on my transition from playing and the challenges I have come across on my journey. Firstly, for those of you who haven’t heard of me (which might be a lot!), then please let me share a small piece of my tennis story.

I started at the age of 6 and played in the Parks Tennis Programme in Swords. My love of the game grew from there. I was one of the best Juniors in Ireland throughout the age groups. My plan was always to play professional tennis, make the top 100 and play the Grand Slams. Easy right?! I went to college in America at Louisiana State University where I was ranked 3 in NCAA college doubles rankings.

After college I played on the tour, mostly doubles and had a career high ranking of 145 ATP winning 15 professional doubles titles, playing in ATP events, beating and playing with some of the best tennis players in the world.

So why did I retire? My ranking had stagnated and I just felt the time was right. I also wanted to start a career in business. I feel that sometimes athletes play too long because it’s all they have done and all they have known. It is a scary thing to step outside your comfort zone and out of your sport. Your professional career will come to an end at some point. I do love the quote from a recent interview with Andre Agassi when he says,

“You spend one third of your life not preparing for the final two thirds”.

What did I do when I hung up the rackets?

I did what most tennis players do – I coached. However, I knew I wanted to make a start in business. My philosophy has always been to surround myself with the best people. During my tennis career, I tried to train with the best players to learn from what they did. This philosophy has served me well in tennis and I felt that if I brought that same mind-set to the business world, good things would happen.

Sport is a great way to meet people and build relationships. Through tennis I ended up on Necker Island for the 2015 Necker Cup. I got to meet Sir Richard Branson and have been lucky enough to go back a few times to coach him tennis and learn from him. He saw my love and passion for people and encouraged me to do something in this space.

After I retired from tennis I didn’t play a lot of competitive tennis. I would just coach for a few hours. Since spending time with Richard and seeing his zest for life and how much better playing tennis is than going to a gym, I’ve now enjoyed getting back on the court and also playing some tournaments. I think you have to separate your pro and post career and just get out and enjoy the battle again.

Other people have gone out of their way to help me too. Stephen Twaddle who is a great friend and tennis player has given me great advice. We exchange tennis lessons for business coaching and I am learning lots from him off the court on what direction to go in. Again, I believe it is all about surrounding yourself with great people.

I felt I was progressing. I had started “Tennis For Wellness” which is running Corporate Tennis Programmes for businesses. I was getting into business and learning as I went along. To be honest, it is not too dissimilar to my tennis career. Tennis is an individual sport and when I played professionally I felt I was learning on the job and learning from my mistakes.

Early this year I was approached by David McHugh who heads up LineupSME – which is a sports, media and consultancy business. He also used to work in the Institute of Sport and he was one of my post career cups of tea to ask advice on my transition. He represents Irish International Rugby Player Rob Kearney, who is involved in the recruitment company Mason Alexander, which is headed up by Andrew Lynch. I got a call from David one day asking if I would meet them, as they had an idea to set up the first dedicated sports recruitment offering in Ireland.

Now I didn’t know the first thing about recruitment but when they expressed their interest in setting up a Sports Recruitment side of the business – filling sports roles and helping athletes with their career transition, I was very interested. Recruitment is something I had never thought about previously but I was impressed with their vision. The thing that impressed me most was Andrew’s philosophy on getting out and meeting people and building relationships, understanding them and opening doors for them.

How have I found going into an office every day?

Suit or No Suit?

First of all, I’ve worn a suit about 10 times in my life and struggle to put on a tie. I had to watch multiple YouTube videos on how to put on a tie. The relief came a few weeks in when David McHugh came in and said to Andrew that if I’m heading up the sports desk, a tie wouldn’t be required. They agreed and the tie was taken off very quickly! I’m hoping to pitch the idea of tracksuits to Andrew when I’ve settled in a few more months!

Routine

I play tennis most mornings at 6.30am and if I can’t find someone to play with, I’ll head to the gym. I can thank Sir Richard for being the inspiration for that. I’m 31 and I had never had set hours for a job in my life. I’ve found that transition tough. When you are playing tennis, there is no routine, you could be in China one week, Uzbekistan the next. One week you could be playing in front of a large crowd, and the next in front of none. I had been apprehensive about my transition into the business world to be a monotonous 9-5 working day, however, so far each day has been an interesting challenge within itself.

Intern

As a tennis player I was an expert. I played Davis Cup for Ireland for close to a decade. I’m well known in the tennis circle within Dublin. However, now I feel like I’m starting again and by no means an expert. I have to regularly ask my colleagues questions that may seem very basic to them but are not to me!

Identity

I’m known as the tennis guy. If I’m at a Christmas party and I meet a relative, the default question is “How is the tennis going?”. I don’t mind this and tennis has added so much to my life. I continue to meet great people through tennis but I always feel like my identity is through tennis.

Looking Forward

I’d be lying if I said it has been easy. However, I’m enjoying it and liking the new challenge. Mason Alexander has been a great journey so far. Andrew and the team give me a lot of slagging but they have really helped me adjust to office life. I’ll be honest and say I don’t know how my new life in the office world will turn out. Up until now I’ve been learning about recruitment and meeting as many people as I possibly can. We are launching our new sports desk and website at the end of the month and hopefully I will take to the business world like a duck to water. Too many people do not enjoy what they do in life and I have always been of the mind-set that we need to be doing something we love.

My Advice To Athletes

Sport opens a lot of doors to business people. My advice is to know that your career as a pro athlete will come to an end someday. I would advise you to look towards the future and not to be afraid to take on some work experience while you’re competing. So many people have helped me throughout and after my career, and I want to use my experience to help others. If you feel I can help you in anyway – please get in touch.

James Cluskey
Head of Sport
Mason Alexander
j.cluskey@masonalexander.ie
01-6854414