Though he has been playing tennis since age five, Pack alum Nick Cavaday continues to keep on hitting with no burnout in sight. After he graduated from State in 2008, the London native decided to pursue playing tennis for a living.
Since playing professional tennis was a life-long goal for Cavaday, he said he has been “living the dream” since September 2008.
“Playing professionally is completely different from playing in college. At N.C. State, everything was taken care of for the players,” Cavaday said. “When you’re playing professionally, you have to arrange every trip to the very last detail, usually on a ridiculously small budget.”
According to Cavaday, working the pro circuit isn’t quite as glamorous as one might envision. Cavaday is currently playing on the International Tennis Federation Futures Tour, which is the third tier of professional tennis events and has a total prize pool of $15,000. The winner receives approximately $2,000.
“I have yet to win one of these tournaments so my average weekly paycheck has been about $300 – probably won’t be upgrading to a better car any time soon,” Cavaday said. “I’m playing these tournaments in the hope of moving up the ATP ranking list and gaining entry into bigger professional tournaments.”
At the beginning of 2009, Cavaday’s ATP singles world ranking was about 2000. He has since moved up the ladder to 1103.
When he’s not playing in tournaments, Cavaday is training at an academy in England or coaching young British players.
“It’s fantastic for me to have somewhere to practice whilst also working with some of the most talented future tennis players we have in this country,” Cavaday said. “I also play professional club tennis in Europe which provides a reasonable amount of income, helping to fund my trips to some professional events.”
Cavaday said playing for the Wolfpack and participating in professional tournaments are as different as one can imagine.
“When you’re in a far corner of Eastern Europe, playing a low-level Futures event with only the umpire, your opponent, and the local drunk for company, external motivation can often be hard to find,” Cavaday said. “You definitely find out whether you really want to play tennis in situations like that.”
Even though he is a half a world away, Cavaday says he contacts his fellow Wolfpackers on a regular basis.
In an interview last spring, recently graduated Pack player Christian Welte said he lived with Cavaday for three years and continues to talk to him weekly, despite Cavaday’s busy schedule.
“He likes to check in with the team to see how we’re doing,” Welte said. “He’s doing a great job out there.”
Cavaday has also been back to N.C. State to visit twice since he graduated and maintains contact with coaches Jon Choboy and Jeff Kader.
He also keeps tabs on his home country’s additions to his alma mater. Last season, junior Rob Lowe, as well as new recruit David Thomson, are the only Brits on the team.
“I follow the team’s results throughout the year and always enjoy its good results,” Cavaday said. “‘I’m excited about the team for next year, especially since it’s going to have a very British feel to it.”
While continuing to strive to reach all his goals, Cavaday hopes that after his tennis career, he can return to the U.S. as a college coach.
“The environment that college tennis provides for players is absolutely fantastic, potentially giving them a fantastic platform from which to mount a professional tennis career,” Cavaday said. “I loved my time at N.C. State and it would be great to work in that type of environment again.”
