Determinants of the tennis players' success and their effect on the sports organizations' sustainability

Abstract

The article aims to reveal whether the number of tournaments in different categories, GDP, and the average wage impact athletes' success. GDP and average wage are viewed as the factors influencing the financial support of athletes. It allows the players to participate in the tournaments in their home country, increasing the chances of achieving better results. On the other hand, a high average wage can change athletes' decisions to pursue university studies. The main research question is: Which of the selected factors affect the success of juniors, men, and women playing tennis professionally? This was studied on the sample starting with fifty European countries (geographically assigned in this international research perspective). The relationship was corroborated between the number of tournaments organized in the country and the number of athletes from the country in the TOP 100 rankings. The article builds on the previous research works conducted worldwide, focusing on other relevant factors and their effect on the success of professional tennis players. The empirical research focuses on economic factors playing a pivotal role in tennis associations' operation and economic sustainability and other entities involved. Econometric regression modeling was applied to the panel data as a quantitative method to justify the relationships among the variables studied.