DEFEATING TENNIS PROFESSIONALS might be his career choice but Darian King isn’t against beating the books too.
Barbados’ latest pro player is still open to attending university in the near future despite announcing his decision to turn down offers from top NCAA Division I colleges to join the ITF men’s circuit last week.
Speaking at a Press launch for the BNB On Court Tennis Championships, King’s coach Sydney Lopez said his charge planned to assess the situation after a year of professional tennis before making a definite decision on going to school.
“I don’t want to say exactly he’s turning pro because we haven’t given up on school,” said Lopez yesterday at the Ocean View Courts.
“After a year of Darian playing the Futures and seeing where is ranking is, I think then we can make a fair assessment of whether he should continue or go to university and get a few years under his belt in school and maybe try it again.”
In a telephone interview with SUNSPORT last week, the gifted 18-year-old said he was turning pro to fulfil his dream and in honour of his late mother who passed away last month.
This after King completed a historic 2010 season that saw Barbados’ then top-ranked junior play in the main junior draws of three Grand Slams – Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the US Open – having gained a Bajan best ranking of No. 47 in the world.
So impressive was King’s year that major Division I colleges Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Florida, the University of Miami, University of Mississippi, Baylor, Virginia Tech and Michigan State came knocking this summer.
But the former Lodge student opted against curriculums in favour of a career, appearing in pro events in the Dominican Republic as a wild card just weeks ago.
However, his playing status might yet flip again.
“Men’s tennis has changed. In the early days it was thought that as soon as you got out of high school, you go and try the professional circuit and see what happens,” reasoned Lopez.
“Sometimes it is smarter to go to university, spend a few years and get the experience of the day-to-day fight against other universities.”
If anything is certain surrounding King’s future, it is that the NCAA won’t be part of it, as the King’s pro status makes him ineligible for any university in that athletic organisation under the NCAA’s amateur laws.
King currently boasts a world ranking of 1 579 with his eye on becoming the first local tennis player to appear in the Olympics at the 2012 London Games either on merit or as one of the wild cards.