The international 'cap' dilemma

The collegiate sports community in the US has been rocked by recent discourse and uproar over the number of international athletes featured on sports rosters. One of the main sports involved in this heated topic is tennis, following the proposal of a 20 per cent international cap on American collegiate sports rosters by former professional player and U.S. Davis Cup captain, as well as analyst Patrick McEnroe.

But what do the coaches behind the recruiting have to say about it? And what does this all mean for Australian tennis players looking to go to the US to play and study?

Austin Hale, head coach of the NCAA Division I women's tennis program at Missouri State, spoke directly with The First Serve about his thoughts on the commotion. 

Surrounding the discourse regarding the implementation of an international roster cap, Hale states that he, like many other coaches, is averse to Patrick McEnroe's proposal of a 20 per cent cap on international student-athletes on rosters.

"I am not a fan of an international roster cap whatsoever; I think it would diminish the overall level of college tennis," said Hale. 

"I understand wanting to see more Americans on college rosters, but I think the bigger issue is developing a larger pool of high-level American players who are ready to compete at this level. Especially at a school outside of the Power 4, it can be incredibly difficult to find high-level American players who want to come to a mid-major.

"As coaches, our job is to recruit the best student-athletes we can who are the right fit for our programs regardless of where they come from."

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When asked about how important the option of international recruitment is for his program at Missouri State, Hale stated the following:

"It is extremely important. I always want to recruit local and US talent when we can, but without international recruiting our program would look completely different," he explained. 

"The pool of high-level tennis players in the US is much smaller compared to the international pool. Tennis is truly a global sport, and international recruiting gives us access to talented players from all over the world."

Hale talked about how this isn't a topic of concern or discourse among coaches throughout the Division I tennis infrastructure.

"I hear this [discourse] a lot from fans, parents, and local tennis supporters. However, I haven't talked to one coach yet in the Division I tennis landscape who agrees with putting a cap on international student-athletes," Hale shared. 

"Most coaches I have talked to agree that they want to recruit the best talent and the best fit for their program, whether they are American or international."

As a long-term solution, Hale proposes growing the game in the States and better supporting players instead of targeting international players. 

"I would just like to see a bigger push to grow the game of tennis here in the United States," he said. "I think the focus should be less on limiting international opportunities and more on creating more opportunities for American players to develop at a high level.

"If we can make tennis more accessible and more popular at the youth level, it would naturally create a bigger pool of high-level American players for college coaches to recruit. I think growing the game here is a much better long-term solution than putting restrictions on international student-athletes."

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Following the conversation with coach Hale, it's easy to discern that this topic should not scare any prospective Australian player away from the opportunity of collegiate tennis in the United States. 

For now, McEnroe's proposed legislation has not been approved and is still in the early stages of legislative action. Collegiate coaches still approach international recruiting without bias and are looking for the best overall fit for their campus.

Across the NCAA Division I, II, and III, as well as the NAIA and JUCO levels, there is a plethora of opportunities for aspiring Australian players to compete at an extremely high level and earn a collegiate degree. 

Concerning the attention the topic is getting from the media, it is even easier to spot how little effect the discourse is actually having on collegiate tennis. Collegiate rosters are a diverse mix of local, regional, and international talent that are constantly raising the bar and progressing programs into stepping stones for professional careers post-college. 

Play USA Tennis Pathways supports athletes who want to go down the college pathway, assisting players to get recruited to a college that meets their academic and athletic goals. If you are a player, parent, or coach and are interested in the college pathway in the United States, contact Lachlan Puyol at playusatennispathways@gmail.com