Season #25 Episode#:12 Shaun Boyce & Bobby Schindler

In today's episode, you'll discover more about Functional Tennis, how it came to be, and where it might be headed. Fabio takes the time to share his origin story as well as what he would do if he were King of Tennis. (We aren't sure physically moving a whole country to a better climate is possible, but we will look into it)

About the Guest

Fabio Molle is the brain behind Functional Tennis which has branched out into multiple areas within the sport. Besides having a highly successful social media account, he has created his own products without any investors supporting him. The Functional Tennis Saber has proven to be a hit with many top players trying it out, including 21-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic. On top of that, Molle also runs a well known podcast which has included guests such as Goran Ivanisevic, Robin Soderling, Casper Ruud and Alex de Minaur.

~from UBI Tennis

Check out the Saber here

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Learn more about Faboi and Functional Tennis: https://www.functionaltennis.com/pages/about-us

Functional Tennis IG: https://www.instagram.com/functionaltennis/

YouTube Full Interview

King of Tennis Answer

Shaun Boyce USPTA: shaun@tennisforchildren.com

https://tennisforchildren.com/

Bobby Schindler USPTA: schindlerb@comcast.net

https://windermerecommunity.net/

Geovanna Boyce: geovy@regeovinate.com

https://regeovinate.com/

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Hey hey, this is Shaun with the GoTennis! Podcast powered by Signature Tennis.

Check out our calendar of Metro Atlanta Tennis events at LetsGoTennis.com.

And as you're listening to this, please look in your podcast app where to leave a review and do

that for us. We would love to earn your five star reviews. In today's episode, Bobby and I

talked to Fabio Molle of Functional Tennis. Most of you will recognize Functional Tennis from

their Instagram page, but we're more interested in the Saber. Have a listen and let us know what you think.

Fabio, do me a favor. Tell me about yourself. Tell me about the Saber. We're looking forward to hear that.

And tell me who you are and why do we care?

We're on. Are we? Where are we? This is it. This is it. This is it. This is it.

This is what you got. Thank you very much for having me on. And I'm Fabio Molle. I run

on operate. Take care of most things at Functional Tennis, which is obviously it starts an Instagram

account. We have an e-commerce store. We sell some products such as the Saber, which is what we're

most known for at the moment over the years. That's its transition from product to product. But

past two years, we've been working on that and trying to get more people using Sabers around the

world. We have a podcast with about two and a half hours of the episodes. We've been going since 2019.

And sometimes we get paid to show up at events to cover events and showcase them on Functional

Tennis. We're about to hit a million followers. I'd say by September time. So that's really exciting.

I don't normally celebrate the milestones as we've gone through them, but I think this is a big one.

So I'm not sure exactly what's going to happen then, but I'm going to try celebrate even

locally with a few friends and family here. And that's basically it. Played a bit of tennis as a

young kid. Wasn't great. It was probably to be like, hand in the age group. And I'm probably

being generous to myself there. And played up and then 1718. Tought about going to scholarship in the

States, but wasn't going to get a great school like some of my friends got. So I decided to stay in

Ireland. I studied software engineering. So by trade, I'm a software engineer. And I played a bit

of tennis in college. And then after college decided to work for my family business in Katrin.

So spent a lot of time there. We wouldn't know. And it grown up. We would just rent my summers there

and weekends working there. So I started running a store and then started to go out with again.

It was tough. Family business are really tough. I taught anyway. And set up an e-commerce company

selling Christmas jumpers in 2008 now. So you guys called them Chris ugly Christmas sweaters. We

just called them Christmas jumpers over here. And we were shipping all over the world. So that was

pretty good. That can be good in the same decomers. And never actually got into the code in the

software game. How did you start up? Never did great with the funky Christmas sweaters as they were

called. The funky Christmas jumpers did well. And so slowly sneaked out the family business.

And then until sort of that went backwards then it was a fad, but it lasted long enough to suck me in.

And long enough to make a mess of everything. So anyway, functional tennis starting in 2016,

just as me in my turdies had injuries and I thought people were putting out some good videos out there.

And there was nowhere to save them on Instagram back then. So I thought maybe there's other people

who are interested, you know, who are bodies breaking down and just people around the world putting

out good exercises. And I just start sharing them. And that evolved in tennis content and we grew

organically ever since then. And I probably went full time about, I'd say five years ago, I went full

time to functional tennis. So I've been, it's been a slow burner. It's usual. Everybody thinks like

it's overnight success. Not that it's successful at the moment. It's still a long way to go. But in

some people's eyes were successful, but it's taken a long time to get here. And that leads us onto today.

And we're on today, Bobby. He says, I'm almost at a million followers. And it's not that successful.

Yeah. I mean, I think a lot of people would say that's a pretty good milestone. Good.

Pointing out success. So congratulations on that's upcoming. That's exciting for you.

And we're curious. So you're not a tennis coach by trade. You're a caterer by trade.

Caterer and software engineer and software engineer.

A person. That's what I'm by trade. Yeah. Obviously surrounded by I surrounded by play tennis,

surrounded by the best players in the country for years. Then by late 20s, I actually, where we grew up,

they brought those always one of our universities is there and they moved in the national train and

center there. So there's an indoor center there. So I start going in as practice partner with the

top guys and girls. So I spent a few years going in there every day. I was flexing with my time when

you work for yourself or your family, even bit of flexibility in there. So I used to go in most days,

hit there and I got really improved a lot and a lot and then I went off and I played a few futures,

but never made main draw. We won a few qualities matches and then there was injuries for creeping up.

Well, not so yeah, so that and then I was a my friends played Davis Cup for Ireland. So I was always

sort of around tennis and some other friends were coaches in the national training center. So

I've always had a keen interest from playing and from speaking to my friends about what's going on.

Gotcha. So you're you're focused on in the podcast. I see pro tennis players, coaches,

parents, trainers, physios, you you talk industry, but is it also you have advice or their tips? Is

they're coaching for the listener? What's the podcast do real quick? No, we don't coach the listeners.

We're more trying to gain from experience from players and people on their team. So closely

associated with them. There has been more to pass to your transition from more of a parent role. We

taught there's a lot of parents out there and they want to know how would our other parents do it around

the world. So I've tried to get more parents on and see, you know, have they have evolved, have what

they've learned their journey with their juniors with their kids. And so I've tried doing that. So to

make sure of that and and the people associated with players, players, top players are hard to get on.

Really hard. So we'll take who we can as in if we get a top player great. If not, we try and work

around their team. And like I've had all the top trainers on of top 10 guys and

girls, we've seen amazing and we just they may give a little bit of experience or an insight into what

goes on and then we just learn and I don't give it. It's rare. I've probably done three or four

solo episodes in the 230 episodes. But in general, we're just we want to hear about people's stories.

Had they got to where they were. What they've learned long the way and what advice there are the ones

given advice to our listeners who may be parents, coaches, players, juniors. Got it. That makes sense.

And but you're most known and I'm sure Bobby wants to ask because he's got a bunch of kids that

want to try this thing. But you're most known for this saber and it started it started as a stick.

It was basically like a cooking spoon, right? So tell me tell me how the saber came to be.

Well, probably well at the minute we're most known for sabers until two years ago, it didn't exist. So

we're still known for our Instagram account feature and juniors feature and behind you know,

player practice content you would normally find we've established good relationships with players

and their team to get content. So that's what we would have been and we're still heavily like we

work with all the top juniors now, publishing their videos from practice and we're still known for

that and people will think people want to be on functional tennis. It's a right of passage. I think

at this stage, but going back yet so ultimately this has to be turned into a business to be sustainable.

And early on, back in 2010, I actually had a tennis app called my tennis tracker, which is for tennis

players to the iPhone was new enough when it was an iPhone app where tennis players could document

their matches, you know, put in reports and and that and the goals connected to their coaches. And

then my goal is by the future that I was going to travel and promote this as I travel. That didn't work

out. It turns out we had a code in the States. I'd know back up of it. There was a thunderstorm.

It blew up his machine. I had no backup and I just decided to move on. So that's where so that's

where my head is that when I'm thinking of a product tell me what are having going to

go on functional tennis and I thought well, why don't we just start with a journal. It's a lot of

cheap enough to ground gets people off their phones and so we launched with a match journal and then a

year later we launched a practice journal. Then we launched a camera man in the meanwhile we used

to post a video of a guy called Jonas Foretek. He was at the time 12. He went down to be the world

number one junior, but it was him hitting with a wooden spoon and I posted a few times. I always did

really well. And I was like never I never connected took me probably a year to connect to the dots.

I was like why don't I try get that product and see what it's like see how useful it is. So I managed

to find the guy who invented it. So it was invented in the Czech Republic and I managed to get one

try it. I was like this is really good. So there was a there was actually European agent. So worldwide

agent who looked after all the sales for the guy who developed it and I went to them. I ordered a

batch and we sold out before they arrived. So that went for about three I think about three years

it still go on air but it was copied and it was on Ali Baba. People in Eastern Europe were copying it

and yeah that sort of killed the product from in the end. They were selling for half the price.

We were selling the fur but ours was made from expensive European red oak. It was curated. You

could leave them out in the rain for weeks. They weren't cracked so it was really high quality. But

anyway so I could see I knew this wasn't gonna last and I always dreamt of how to put a product

together. I had one with strings and so I started thinking of how how do I do that. So I was researching

amount of factors and I was always missing the technical element. So probably took me a year to find

somebody from a technical angle to work with and once I did it was for me it was relief. That was

the hardest thing but I spent two weeks in Excel doing some working on Excel. This is the prototypes

with cardboard so and I came to I built a product in cardboard with the help of a technical guy

and then we did manufacture one of the best manufacturing in the world and we took it from there.

So probably a year it took 16 months from the time I started working with him until we start

selling it. I'm sorry for those that don't know the sabres it's a sweet spot train until we skipped

right over that right? Yeah we skipped right over but it's it's a 37 square inch racket it's two

inches shorter than a normal tennis racket and it has a smaller head size to replicate the sweet spot

on most 27 inch rackets and it encourages people to obviously show them where the sweet spot is,

where the contact point is started and basically a lot of people described it as a tool to get

players' feet moving because your feet aren't working, nothing else gonna work and when the

head size is small the ball's coming in quick you just gotta be you know you gotta be quick with

your feet you gotta be in position early and that will allow you to hit the ball in the right place so

ultimately we do it's a warm tool but it's really what work tool? Interesting you think of a you

take you grab a bracket say hey we're gonna focus on hitting in this sweet spot and then maybe you

learn after the fact that it ends up being by a footwork tool you say wait a minute this is supposed

to be a sweet spot where you help me with my contact point what does this have to do with footwork

and it's cool that you realize that eventually because that probably wouldn't be a thing you would

have predicted. No we shouldn't know from the wooden spoon we did always knew it was a it was a

it was a footwork footwork it was always involved in footwork if you're not moving your feet you're not

gonna be able to do this and the spoon was even harder to do it but yeah it just we just heard

a more more master we've a lot more saber users than the wooden spoon user so you know you get more

feedback and think we've about like 850 reviews at this stage which are really positive and yeah so

it's it's a bit forever every coach as I said we don't tell coaches we've no instructional manual

on our website because we know coaches are opinionated they have their own way of doing things

they don't like when another coach you know they might learn from their coach but sometimes

they're way doing things and due to coach doesn't do it right so I didn't want to be the guy telling

people how to use the saber because I don't think that would have helped me so we let everybody

to use it definitely and that's where we get feedback and how people are using it in a more way

they put it into their practice sessions and yes it's been really interesting to hear all that

yeah Bobby we have no no idea what he's talking about with coaches going their own way and not

listening to other coaches right never never heard of such a thing so Bobby you're gonna you're gonna

love this thing and I'm sure you've got questions but I'm looking through with 37 square inches

which it makes me think of the T2000 that I have every once in a while I go out and try to hit with it

and that isn't 37 it feels like it's 37 square inches when I try to play with it but Bobby is this

everything you've considered when we talked about this before to be able to say okay this is a tool

that can help in many different ways well I'm old enough to remember when we actually played with 37

I still think I have mine in my in the garage you know it's still under the the pressure to keep

them from warping but yeah I mean it's it's amazing to watch and I've been laughing a bunch of times

during this first of all you have to footwork in Atlanta they just don't go together that's the

the pros make it where we we have the best drill players in the world we just don't have players that

they translate into matches as much because they're used to the ball coming to them and obviously if

the the sweet spot is smaller in the bracket shorter they're gonna have to compensate somehow

a good place to start as the feet so that that's a great and a fun way to introduce footwork too

this way you're not having to say you're doing footwork which the kids especially associate that is

what we do wrong you're punishing us why we doing footwork now we want to make you but I sorry I just

jump in it yeah it is like it's a phone tool so it has fun to the session and you're you're indirectly

working on some of these game by just them having fun so it just backs up what you're saying there

now the only the big problem I saw with it is you have Stan Warinka as a demo and the freaking guy

doesn't miss at all I mean he just hit clean backhand after backhand as I go if you really want

somebody to feel inefficient or lacking just watch this video it was amazing so I mean he hits it

37 square inches clean as you can and just crushing not easing his way through the backhand

just crushing the backhand it's like okay I can't do that we know we've another video of a US

got Brandon Holt and he's absolutely playing a point with it and he's absolutely nailing the ball

and he's side to side so it's not he's going from backhand corner forehand corner back so there's a lot

of movement going on and he is just absolutely nail even some more quan at the South Korean player

and a few videos of him absolutely look these are the best guys in the world for a reason they're good ball

strikers they can they can strike a ball well with it with a baseball bat if they have to do just

yeah they have everything and the racket doesn't matter what rackets in their hand but yeah that was

impressive and and I'm still trying to get over I'm a big great uh Graham Norton fan and one of my

favorite episodes of his show was Bill Murray Matt Damon and another actor talking about a fuzzy jumper

so you nailed me and I was going back right away to that when you started talking about the jumper

so I've been a little distracted but no and Graham Norton's Irish right I think he's an I

Graham Norton yeah yeah he's our show he's war one of our war one of our jumpers at some stage I've

pictures of him here somewhere I'm ready for a jump oh they did an episode and they were talking about

and you know Bill Murray especially they never heard of a jumper let a lot of fuzzy jumper

and it was just hysterical and it's famous for going viral because Matt Norton's I mean I'm sorry

Matt Damon at the end of it said this is the most fun he'd ever had on a dog show so it was you

blew up all over the internet but we I think we had their runs they were on Jimmy Kendall

Saturday night live at one stage as well wonder actually like we did they were like the Kardashians

had one there was they did pretty they got it we gave away a lot of them put it that way and

which son I haven't done with the saver because you know you get known for giving away product and

for me with functional tennis was important that we don't we look we have a price and that's the

price and it's more or less the price for everybody and we we do give the owner of Federer Roger Federer's

agent come knock on one for him you know we're a deal but we give away very few of these and that's

helped us as well because it just makes my decision everybody gets the same answer yeah

but it's not the Roger Federer can can't afford it like he needs a free one I mean

that's it he doesn't order it he doesn't know as far as I know he doesn't have one but I just

made kiffon one I don't know but yeah yeah that like the top guys get a lot of stuff for free I can only

imagine and you've got to I say a swing stick but we've got something similar that swing vision is

created to hang the the camera on the fence how did that come to be that just kind of seems

unrelated but I guess you do a lot of video so it makes sense yeah no it made sense we

actually when they first came out we were buying them actually from a small guy in the States that's

where and then we developed our own version and it was just made sense because you know we are all

video it's actually probably is the most sense product that we have because we what we do share a

video we've shared over 11000 videos at this stage and you know if we can allow somebody you to

easily record yourself playing tennis that it's easier for you to send me a video so it's actually

a good product and yeah that's it an important product it's not our it's not our biggest seller

always thought we would do a lot better with them but look they take away and yeah then I saw

we were sort of in partnership with swing vision they were selling our product at one stage but then

they're more recently they have their own swing stick which is sort of the same but different

yeah they like to put their logo on things it's important I guess but yeah so in that case is that all it

takes like I grab your tennis camera mount I video myself playing tennis and then you put it on your

Instagram account is it that simple oh no it's not that same we do we get a lot more videos in that

we put out like we put out four day treat treat the five a day on average four and yeah no it's

quite hard we got my job is to curate if you ask me what's your job within the social account it's a

curator so I pick what videos goes goes live we've relationships with so many players and coaches

they'll have their own drop box folder they upload to whenever they want so videos come in all the time

and yeah and then I then I might if we don't have a certain player I'll reach out to them

ask them to create some video and then other times I might see a video online which I ask the person

first we get in high in high quality so it's a mixture of some of our own content some content that

just flows into its relationships we've built some new stuff I find and then sometimes we may

post some ATP tour videos which we can do and if we work with some brands you may have some brand

work also to throw out there okay so Bobby it sounds like he's doing a lot of fun stuff he gets to

actually go to the events and video people using products we do a lot of we're getting into us to say

we do a lot of in our minds we do we do a lot of we're getting into in person events here and having

that mount is fantastic to be able to video yourself just to have something that convenient I bought

eight or ten throughout the first few years of different types of things and the sticks really

make a difference we really appreciate that but Bobby what else I know we've got we've talked about

his podcast we've talked about the saber we've talked about the fence mounts you've got the the

training journal tell me about that also I had a training journey they're just a match and practice

journal so one for matches one for practice and it just gives players a framework on what to

think about during the matches so what to think about before you play and what to evaluate afterwards

and the same for the practice session so let us the plan better you know make sure they're getting

their achievement there are many goals that they set and also to rate themselves and the coach then

can have a look at it and see if what they wrote down and made sense to what he saw on court and

that's basically it's just getting people away from their phone for three or four minutes think

about your game your practice session planet out did you execute yes or no I'm walking you do better

next time so you have to physically you have to physically write in the notebook so you you

market to middle age people people right because the younger kids don't know how to write they just

had to do things with their thumbs so maybe maybe it's it's a right until it's not a true

to help them write does not even teach penmanship anymore in the United States person they don't

write when cursive anymore so no it's that I do get told all the time why don't you have an app

version of this an app version of this but I've just been it's just there's only so many things I can do

and I'd like to do it at some stage but it's not it's not my plan the next six months to do

oh Bob I just just say another vote of greed sorry Bobbier said Bobbien I'll both agree getting them

off the phone it matters I think it helps or that's that's a great target to have so put off the app

as long as you can make a music so I think it's fantastic yeah absolutely because go get water

translates into go check your phone I look it's the same for adults as well not only kids you can't

just blame the kids I'm probably the most guilty every time you stop it's like I'll check my phone

you go next thing it's yeah it's I recognize as a problem for myself and it's not only children

that are doing this adults are just as bad well Bobby got anything else for for Fabio before

yeah what is what is the retail on the saber you know saber is somebody selling their state

no well we we've a few retailers spread around the world not too many but most sales like I think

45% for sales go to the US 5% to Canada and it retails it's like 150 euros which is about

160 dollars the pen the FX changes changes all the time to roughly 160 dollars and shipping is

you can get it the 8 to 12 day which is like 10 dollars you can get the 80 in dollar the two-day

shipping so we've options there and then the great thing about the states is you can import up to

800 dollars a day without any duty from Europe so there's no extra what you pay there's no extra

charges some people may be scared getting from Europe going to be extra charges but there's not

which works really good for us definitely if we if I get stuff from the states we're charged like

25% on top of what it costs so it's great that I can ship to the states and

do customers don't pay any extra which is amazing no sales tax no any of that it's just all in the

price and that's it all right so once say yeah I see 165 currently and then you got a combo with the

saber and the the magic mount which at 215 that's good you sell some spring to go with it I can get

them the wooden spoon for just less than 90 and the in the practice journal that's great but then I

think like you said I said you're most known for this saber I think that's just in my mind because

I found you years ago because of that but looking into your looking into your Instagram and your

podcast it looks like that's a that's a lot that's been going on longer and definitely well known there

which is impressive so I will say well done because we're we're talking to as many people as we can

in the industry to find out what you're doing but also sometimes you know what that success

what it takes now you said it's a slow crawl sometimes I think that was crazy trying to

trying to get where you need to be we've posted every day since 2016 every day so that's what's that

eight it's eight years now so eight by it's like 2700 days in a row that's what that's what I've done

it's and it's a mental drain by doing I but hopefully hopefully one day I'll have you know some

the help of me you know you always wake up the cost of these things at time and but yeah it's

me that does all that and it's been a drain. I told you I'm on holidays with the family but look I

enjoy doing it and it's yeah it's great sometimes you know you can look you see a player breaking true

and you're like well we posted a video we communication with them seven years ago and so you can

track back some videos and so I think we're building relationships with players that'll be really

good in the future that sounds good but I mean we're good to go what's one you always have something

left yeah one left just curiosity who's purchasing the saver is it more coaches more individuals

resort I mean I love this is a resort thing you know an academy obviously but I'm curious how

how motivated do you get the individual it's really a mixture like I just sorry I got an email

from somebody there saying they recommended by Ernie at La Quinta in California so that's a resort

which so that's who's just bought I know like parents have bought today I know coaches buy so parents

will buy for their kids the younger kids coaches will buy to have them in academies and sometimes

the same academy the player will buy so it's you know it's really a mixture which makes it really

hard to pinpoint and say you know what coaches buy it and that's it but no it's really it's a mixture

it's parents coaches and they're made like I just saw a fancy European resort has got one there but

that's not wouldn't be performance it would be just be like and people on holiday so the coach has one

there it's really sometimes like a federation may buy a few like they may buy a few or cat it's

really a mixture anybody that is involved in competing tennis players will want to buy one

so you know competing tennis players maybe in federation academies private coaches

and so anybody and we ship we've done like I think 90 countries at this stage so we ship

a US obviously our biggest one then the UK Germany France Canada Italy Australia and then spread

it throughout the world sounds like it's going well and then you know what what's next what's

better we'll we'll have to follow up at some point we'll we'll find you in a year and see you know

what's next yeah just survive and keep coming out the content and look we release the edition

version of the saber we do like a grand slam editions we're from each city and this year we've

we've we like we did a midnight one people go mad for black brackets and we also we're celebrating

a million followers this year we're going to be launching a special saber edition so we do

these special editions along the way and we do have like along with the mid after we launch the

mid then I launched a lighter version so more for kids 13 14 15 and and then we also have a junior

version which is an even shorter again for kids six to 10 yeah that's I'm online right now we're

in one I need one for my two-year-old oh well let's do that I can't guarantee we've won for two

year olds but I come back in a few years and we'll have one but yeah so look we're working on

another exciting project a minute but it's taken a lot longer than I taught so I don't know if

it's even got a comb to fruition so hopefully next year I could have some good news with that which

allow me to expand a bit more okay new products something fancy I thought f 37 or something

should you be like the 37,000 or something exciting fft 37 was their whole name for the saber

okay I thought that was the thing coming out that was development name for the saber so and I

was going to go on it and then came up with the saber I just thought the saber such a better name

and I think the name can help a product as well and it it did help but so yeah I'm glad I went

to it and we've much a trend there yeah on the choice yeah I like that a lot so okay I keep asking

Bobby he's got one more he always does we're good we're good so I'm gonna hit you unexpected this time

with our king of tennis question so Fabio if you were king of tennis whether it's the whole world

whether it's just Ireland the UK the United States anything social ATP WTA do you have any ideas

is there anything that you would do or change when it comes to tennis I'd love to relocate Ireland to

the the Mediterranean or somewhere in Europe so we could start to help tennis players not have

excuses for weather indoor courts but you know bad surfaces so maybe relocate Ireland to central

to Europe would be amazing but no realistically look I think tennis is about having more fun but also

these guys and girls who are out there like spend and I've seen the top junior guys were

nothing's guaranteed and they put so much into it so much money into it and I think five or six

I know men five or six players enter top 100 every year there's not only five or six new people

making money every year in tennis so I definitely think more you know change up the whole structure of

the ATP and WTA which allows be it lead based I'm not too sure exactly but to let look people to

300 to earn more money to make like even an average wage but it's something a bit more than that

it's very tennis's top heavy that heavy as we all know I don't need to be I don't need to be saying

them but something that would allow the players open-come players who will eventually break true I hope

but they all don't some get injured but at least to to finish their tennis journey with something a

bit more to show for it rather than just some good stories stuck in hotels and train stations and

all that so I just think to divide the wealth a bit more would be nicer

Bobby I think we've heard similar things recently where as people are looking for something a little

different a little sorry I'm 100 to 300 range somebody to keep that some thing to keep them going to

keep them in the game yeah look at the takes a look you know even if you're a junior it could take

70 80 hundred thousand dollars a year to fund your when you're 14 15 16 and it's even more than when

you're you know seven you're trying to break true if you don't go to college and yeah just

something to reward these a bit more the ones there's a lot of ones that aren't so serious so you

trying to figure out which are serious but maybe if there's some cash there for them they are a

bit more serious and let them do better it's it's it's definitely hard and you know these come

now with the wind the futures come out at paycheck for 1500 2000 dollars and the weeks after cost

you that to come and out with like 20 or 30 dollars is the neck gain and the challenges isn't much

challenges a little bit better but you know they're not winning every week and yeah it's not like a

broken record player here but I think that's one of the more important things to change and a lot more

should be done about it Bobby can I tell him to come with us a solution next next year we'll come

hey look I like the idea that's great but don't come to me with problems come to me with a solution

they're good like we said this is a common theme right now and I think it's it's great to continue

to people here because most people here are professional and they associate money and probably if

you had to look at all of sports tennis has the least amount of people making money I mean look

at what the average NBA player the average and you know major league baseball player makes like

you said you got 20 50 or maybe a hundred tennis players mounted thing now making a good living

out of how many it's not a lot I'm saying tall you might get like 45 50 doubles guys

Geralt that's a hundred and then 80 90 like 300 players max making it like you're better off being a coach

are you are yeah are the coach we are traveling or be it because the coach still getting paid

right or have your own academy or just run a little nice private clinic in in the state somewhere

that can do quite well so okay it's it's tough it's tough and yeah my solution I don't have one

right now maybe I can't come back wait one but definitely involves the ATP and the WCA getting

together and trying to sort this out figure something out all right so next year this we're going to

do I mean email you say hey what's the solution because and I push back a lot on I need to

get tennis answers to say hey you come and say hey we need to fix something but you're the king so

it's on you you got to figure out how to fix it and maybe sometimes we come up with good ideas

sometimes we don't I'm not at the I'm not at the level the LC if we were a very big successful

company I would like to have like the functional tennis funds where we help junior you know we

pick juniors every year we distribute some cash to help cover some of their costs that's what I

that's what I would like to do to help these players around the world I'm not sure things

are always a difficult situation who do you pick how do you pick and I think that's hard but deep

down that's what I'd love to do would be find a way that have a fund where we can support players

and you know help them get closer to their dreams that's fantastic Bobby we're in that's a great

it's for vets now it's not for juniors for for the ITF vet you know hey time off work so we

cover the cost when you're not working exactly there you go well Fabio I appreciate your time this has

been fantastic we will make sure to get the word out and we're gonna talk about the saber we're

talking about functional tennis the podcast and everything you're doing and I'm gonna like I said

I'm gonna follow up we're gonna see if we can figure something out I love that dream of the

functional tennis fund to be able to help those that that need a little a little extra a little

extra bit there or Bobby and I have been approached by a few people recently about some other ideas

as to how to help and what happens next but we will be in touch I appreciate it Bobby is always thank

you and uh Fabio thank you so much I appreciate your time thanks y'all to Bobby preset it

well there you have it we want to thank reGeovinate.com for use of the studio and signature tennis for

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