DUBAI // Much like James McGee’s convoluted commute from Florida to Dubai via Atlanta and Paris, the life of a professional player outside the ATP Tour’s top 100 is no easy ride.
McGee, 27, travelled for more than 24 hours to play for one hour and four minutes at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships. Ranked 210th in the world, he was comfortably dispatched by Portugal’s Joao Sousa 6-1, 6-2.
Yet McGee, in accepting the unlikely wildcard invitation, became the first Irishman to play the Aviation Club’s showpiece event in its 23-year history.
He also picked up prize money of US$14,590 (Dh53,600) – or, if you prefer, $228 for each minute he spent on Centre Court. “It was a tough trip, but it was worth it,” he said afterwards.
Such lucrative situations do not arise often for a Dubliner who grew up hitting tennis balls against a wall in the rain at Castleknock Lawn Tennis Club.
At 17, he moved to Barcelona to train at the Catalan Federation and a few years later moved to the United States.
After haemorrhaging money on the Futures Tour, he finally achieved a sufficiently high ranking to qualify for the ATP Challenger Tour.
“Futures, you are losing money every single week, even if you win the tournament, but on the Challenger Tour you can get by,” McGee said.
While world No 4 Andy Murray rejected the opportunity to sleep at the seven-star Burj al Arab this week in favour of staying closer to the Aviation Club this week, when McGee plays in the US, housing is provided by friendly families near to the venues.
“A couple of weeks ago, I was in Dallas and someone housed me for seven days: breakfast, lunch, and dinner,” he said.
“So you do save money on the Challenger Tour, and you make whatever you make, but you’re certainly not making big money unless you go deep into the tournament.”
Last year, McGee won three qualifying matches at the US Open to make it into the main draw for a grand slam for the first time. He lost in the first round proper, but his exertions were enough to earn him $35,754.
Fortunately for McGee, the title sponsor of this week’s tournament is Dubai Duty Free, which has Irishman Colm McLoughlin as its executive vice president.
McLoughlin’s wife, Breeda, was sat in the VIP stand during yesterday’s match waving an Irish tricolour.
“It’s great to have them, great crowd and everything,” said McGee, who was due to meet the McLoughlins yesterday evening to express his gratitude.
“I would have loved to have put on a better show and at least made the match a little bit tighter, but that’s the way it goes. Hopefully, I can come back next year and do it.”
McGee’s whirlwind Middle East excursion has proved invaluable in more ways than merely financially.
On Saturday, he trained with Murray and world No 8 Tomas Berdych.
“That was brilliant to be playing at this level and to meet these guys,” he said. “You realise they are normal lads. Sometimes you watch them on TV and they seem – they don’t look human, but they are.”
Had McGee managed to overcome Sousa, he would have faced Murray in the second round. Sousa, ranked world No 50, said McGee is “improving a lot”.
“I know him very well, because he used to practice in Barcelona with me at the same academy,” the Portuguese said.
“He’s a great player, a lot of power. Sometimes just his head is going away from the match, but I think he has been improving a lot. I hope he will get to the top; he has a good chance.”
For McGee, breaking into the top 100 remains the aim. At the end of last season, he climbed as high as 188th in the world.
“For me, I feel it’s a matter of consistency,” he said.
“I can’t be up and down. To start making good money, really you want to be in the top 100. That’s the goal.”
gmeenaghan@thenational.ae
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