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Chasing Points: A Season on the Pro Tennis Circuit
At 34 years of age, Gregory Howe quit teaching to chase his childhood dream of becoming a world-ranked tennis professional. He started his year-long journey in the minor leagues, playing across four continents, as far afield as Bangkok, Kampala and Lahore, initially struggling against younger, fitter aspiring pros. Breaking through to the elite Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) tour, he got within volleying distance of some of the greats of the modern game. Eventually, he managed to juggle competing on the ATP tour with holding down a nine-to-five job. Along the way he encountered almost everything the tennis world has to offer, from rising stars racing to the top, to players whose hopes are slowly being shattered.
- GenresSportsMemoirNonfiction
256 pages, Paperback
Published August 27, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
June 2, 2021
As a recreational tennis player and a tennis fan/spectator who can enjoy watching both pro matches on big stadiums as well as the local club heroes battling it up on the weekend brawl I must say this book made my eyebrows lift so many times I think I could feel new wrinkles forming on my increasing forehead. Its not that Greg was gonna conquer the top ranked position, and for those who dont follow tennis he might as well did (you'll never know) but his quest is a real life example of Frodo's quest. The writing is simple and engaging specially for someone familiar with those sensations of being on court also "chasing points" (not atp points necessarily). Also he's traveled to countries one would have trouble getting around or food let alone play tennis and find a remote tennis club (maybe some prejudice on my part) giving us an unique window to a few african nations sports programs and culture and hope that someday in the future maybe I could visit them and perhaps even play some tennis there (if/when I have Gregs pair of....courage).
November 30, 2018
I think we all have fantasies about our dream careers. Something we showed a little bit of aptitude and passion for, but were never realistically going to get paid to do. The rise of reality talent shows suggests this question – could I have made it? – sits inside an awful lot of us.
For me, I did some stand-up comedy in college alongside a few people who have gone on to make a living in the comedy/entertainment world. I was good but I knew I’d never have enough strings to my bow to achieve much more than getting laughs from a crowd of peers who shared all of my cultural references. But getting the opportunity to tell jokes while giving speeches at weddings over the last few years, and getting brilliant feedback stirred up the old feelings of – could I have made it? Or at least, should I have tried?
This long-winded introduction is all to make the point that when reading Chasing Point, the story of a 34 year old man’s attempts to play professional tennis, I cannot emphasis enough how much I wanted Howe to succeed. I wanted to stop reading after each loss – and unsurprisingly there are a hell of a lot of them – and I genuinely smiled at each moment of success.
Howe had been a very good tennis player but, by his own account, not good enough that a career in the game seemed inevitable or even likely. He continued to play in tournaments into adulthood and used tennis as a way to see the world – combining holidays with entering some local tournament.
At 34 however, Howe decided to give the game one last shot. The book covers a year spent mostly on the Futures tour, the third rung of professional tennis, where players fight it out for a tiny number of ATP Tour points with a view to moving on to Challenger Tour and ATP Tour tournaments. Howe set himself the challenge of winning a solitary ATP Tour point that would give him a World Ranking and access to the ATP Tour. To achieve this, he would need to win at least three consecutive games against typically much younger players who were trying to launch a career in the game.
Chasing Points exposes the incredibly unglamorous life of the majority of players who try to play tennis professionally. Trailing across Continent’s, sleeping in crappy hotels, paying to enter tournaments and having to win three consecutive games to see any return (either financially or in Tour points), Howe paints a picture of young men unable to let go of a dream until they had no other choice. It’s the dual nature of the story that makes Chasing Points so interesting – it’s not just Howe’s journey but also an insight into the struggles of thousands of others on the way up or the way down as they try and try to make it as professional tennis players.
The book has been published 10 years after the season it chronicles. It’s therefore really interesting to be able to know what eventually happened the various characters Howe meets along the way. The majority end up drifting into obscurity with some never playing another professional game after Howe beats them.
Howe’s ambitions were relatively modest and highly personal in nature – there’s almost no reward for being ranked the 1,200th best player in the world. But it’s this personal satisfaction that makes the challenge worthwhile – Howe set his sights on something and commits to trying whatever he can to achieve it. It’s not a tale of extreme sacrifice – Howe spends a bit of money on the quest but he isn’t poor. It’s not a tale of extreme obsession – Howe doesn’t destroy relationships or his health (in a major way) to achieve his goal. It’s not a tale of life changing moments or triumph against all the odds. Instead it’s the story of what success means to each of us and the satisfaction of the journey. It speaks to that desire to never give up on our dreams and never stop doing what you love.
Chasing Points is a really enjoyable read. Howe tells an interesting story and he tells it well. There is a real risk of repetition as each tournament blends into another but Howe gets the balance right – sometimes telling a game in lots of details, sometimes simply mentioning that he lost 6-2 6-2. Overall I’d highly recommend it for any sports fan or anybody who asks themselves am ‘I too old to try and live my dream?’.
As a 34 year old man who is writing this review in Brussels Airport on the way home from a work trip, in the breaks between taking work related phone calls, I can’t help but reflect on those long-ago dreams of stand-up comedy. If I end up attempting an open-mic night anytime in the next few months, Greg Howe is getting the blame.
You can read all of my sports book reviews at https://allsportsbooks.reviews
For me, I did some stand-up comedy in college alongside a few people who have gone on to make a living in the comedy/entertainment world. I was good but I knew I’d never have enough strings to my bow to achieve much more than getting laughs from a crowd of peers who shared all of my cultural references. But getting the opportunity to tell jokes while giving speeches at weddings over the last few years, and getting brilliant feedback stirred up the old feelings of – could I have made it? Or at least, should I have tried?
This long-winded introduction is all to make the point that when reading Chasing Point, the story of a 34 year old man’s attempts to play professional tennis, I cannot emphasis enough how much I wanted Howe to succeed. I wanted to stop reading after each loss – and unsurprisingly there are a hell of a lot of them – and I genuinely smiled at each moment of success.
Howe had been a very good tennis player but, by his own account, not good enough that a career in the game seemed inevitable or even likely. He continued to play in tournaments into adulthood and used tennis as a way to see the world – combining holidays with entering some local tournament.
At 34 however, Howe decided to give the game one last shot. The book covers a year spent mostly on the Futures tour, the third rung of professional tennis, where players fight it out for a tiny number of ATP Tour points with a view to moving on to Challenger Tour and ATP Tour tournaments. Howe set himself the challenge of winning a solitary ATP Tour point that would give him a World Ranking and access to the ATP Tour. To achieve this, he would need to win at least three consecutive games against typically much younger players who were trying to launch a career in the game.
Chasing Points exposes the incredibly unglamorous life of the majority of players who try to play tennis professionally. Trailing across Continent’s, sleeping in crappy hotels, paying to enter tournaments and having to win three consecutive games to see any return (either financially or in Tour points), Howe paints a picture of young men unable to let go of a dream until they had no other choice. It’s the dual nature of the story that makes Chasing Points so interesting – it’s not just Howe’s journey but also an insight into the struggles of thousands of others on the way up or the way down as they try and try to make it as professional tennis players.
The book has been published 10 years after the season it chronicles. It’s therefore really interesting to be able to know what eventually happened the various characters Howe meets along the way. The majority end up drifting into obscurity with some never playing another professional game after Howe beats them.
Howe’s ambitions were relatively modest and highly personal in nature – there’s almost no reward for being ranked the 1,200th best player in the world. But it’s this personal satisfaction that makes the challenge worthwhile – Howe set his sights on something and commits to trying whatever he can to achieve it. It’s not a tale of extreme sacrifice – Howe spends a bit of money on the quest but he isn’t poor. It’s not a tale of extreme obsession – Howe doesn’t destroy relationships or his health (in a major way) to achieve his goal. It’s not a tale of life changing moments or triumph against all the odds. Instead it’s the story of what success means to each of us and the satisfaction of the journey. It speaks to that desire to never give up on our dreams and never stop doing what you love.
Chasing Points is a really enjoyable read. Howe tells an interesting story and he tells it well. There is a real risk of repetition as each tournament blends into another but Howe gets the balance right – sometimes telling a game in lots of details, sometimes simply mentioning that he lost 6-2 6-2. Overall I’d highly recommend it for any sports fan or anybody who asks themselves am ‘I too old to try and live my dream?’.
As a 34 year old man who is writing this review in Brussels Airport on the way home from a work trip, in the breaks between taking work related phone calls, I can’t help but reflect on those long-ago dreams of stand-up comedy. If I end up attempting an open-mic night anytime in the next few months, Greg Howe is getting the blame.
You can read all of my sports book reviews at https://allsportsbooks.reviews
December 19, 2018
I'm kind of sad that this book hasn't been read more. It's not the most polished publication, but it as sports books go, it's great- Greg Howe is able to make his points, and this is the kind of insight nobody else will be able to provide. I'm certain even long-term tennis fans (like me) will find lots they don't know about, and may even like to find out more about an incident or a decision he took by chatting directly with Greg is also available on Twitter (he has always been happy to engage). Roger Federer fans will have a particularly nice time with this book, but lots of other names came up, and one of my favourite parts was to look those names up online to see where their careers went.
January 9, 2023
This is not a biography of a star player or a famous professional, just an above average guy trying to live the dream of being a pro player. And it’s a slog. But he writes entertainingly about all the places and people he encounters making me thing that the tennis players toiling away on the back courts actually have a richer experience than those on the Centre ones
October 14, 2020
I was attracted to this book as I spent a gap year playing the futures tour back in 99. But this came up a bit flat: went to abc lost to xyz and this guy through his racket and Federer was on the next court etc... part travel log, Howe is no Bryson, so this would have made a better tv doc. Saying that, perhaps everyone that aspires to any profession shouldn’t just read a hero’s memoir but also one of those that struggles to show how tough it really is at the bottom.
December 31, 2023
Nice bit of escapism, nice story and a good addition to other tennis literature as it takes a different angle. Come to think of it, there’s a real shortage of tennis literature in general, not just from the top players but I’d like to hear the stories of players who were ranked anywhere inside the top 100
September 9, 2021
Good read. I enjoyed the author's perspective of the daily grind. For every Roger, Rafa, or Novak, there are hundreds of aspiring players trying to make it. Kudos to Howe and others for their love of the game.
January 4, 2023
Fascinating insight into the world of the would-be (or, sometimes, has-been) tennis professional: the players who are prepared to travel the world and play anywhere to try to get their precious rating points.
September 4, 2023
Surprisingly good. I have a passing interest in tennis, but found this to be a well written memoir which really gave me an insight into the life of a tennis pro. I can see why it was longlisted for awards now.
June 19, 2021
a really unique look at what it takes on the pro tennis tour. Well written, quick read, unique insights on the Middle East and Africa.
March 30, 2023
An interesting look at the lower levels of professional tennis.
July 17, 2023
A past-his-prime English teacher gets to play in the same tournament as Federer after competing all around the world. You can't help but root for the underdog.
September 3, 2025
good read
Easy to read, with vivid descriptions. Revealed true color of professional tennis world, below all the fanfare. Hats off to Howe.
Easy to read, with vivid descriptions. Revealed true color of professional tennis world, below all the fanfare. Hats off to Howe.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews