The balance between amateur and professional players in the college tennis setup in the US has been an ongoing debate, with coaches like Matt Jones vocal about the growth of domestic players at the expense of seasoned Tour professionals who use college tennis as a second option. The Southern California-based coach, with over 200,000 followers on social media, now has another bold take, comparing the levels of amateur players to those of professionals.

“I don’t concern myself with WTA 250 – not a big difference in level from women’s college tennis,” said Jones on the Instagram channel, College Tennis Nation.

As of now, there are a handful of Top 250 players on the WTA circuit who also played at the college level simultaneously. The most notable name is that of Mary Stoiana, who is ranked 114 in the world right now and recently transitioned out of the college tennis program at Texas A&M. Stoiana made some decent strides on the Tour this year, reaching the quarterfinals of the Sao Paolo Open, where she won against the likes of Claire Lu and Dominika Salkova.

While Jone’s verdict on the playing levels between a Top 250 player and a college-level player remains subjective and based on the individual, Jones does have the necessary credentials to make educated comments about the sport. Being a collegiate player himself, he now runs the Surf and Turf Tennis Center and the Jones Crew Academy, helping young players develop their games.

Jones’ instructional videos have gained popularity on platforms like Instagram, making him a popular voice on college tennis. His tactical breakdowns of stroke-making, which use a seven-step process to perfect the topspin forehand, provide the necessary technical guidance for younger players just starting to develop their games.

This is not the first time Jones has given his opinion on professional players coming into the amateur college setup. The veteran coach has often expressed his discontent with the recruitment policies of universities in Texas, which have often taken players with professional rankings to strengthen their rosters and win divisional championships. This has been part of the broader debate that has gone on about how foreign players should be limited in college tennis to let domestic players grow, something which was supported by former legends like Patrick McEnroe.

Jones even suggested that while going professional by bypassing the college system was an individual player’s choice, a player should not be allowed to come back to college tennis after turning pro. While his opinions on the WTA players might be quite controversial, there have been instances of players who have succeeded on the WTA Tour after having successful collegiate careers.

There Have Been Successful WTA Transitions for College Tennis Players

The WTA has seen some players successfully transition to the Tour after successful stints in college tennis. Both Stearns and Navarro, who played college tennis from Texas and Virginia, respectively, tasted success in terms of winning college championships, while also making it big on the Tour. Both Stearns and Navarro have win titles, with the latter a Grand Slam semifinalist and former Top-10 player.

Even players outside of the US have benefitted from a college career, none more so than Diana Shnaider. The Russian player was part of the North Carolina program in college tennis and has since won multiple Tour-level titles. She had a massive result at the French Open this year, where she upset top seed Aryna Sabalenka in the quarterfinals to reach her maiden Major semifinal.

Players like Ben Shelton have often hyped up the importance of playing college tennis, with players often benefiting from learning to look after themselves, which is different from pro tennis, where there are whole entourages for players who handle specific needs and demands. At the Australian Open this year, the US Open runner-up talked about how playing college tennis hardened him to face the rigors and competitive nature of Tour life.