30-year-old Fernando Romboli faces a problem familiar to every entrepreneur: persist, transform or exit the market. For him, that market is professional tennis.
This decision is not just about dreams or career plans, but also about costs, expected returns, and considerations of the situation. More than a decade later, this choice took him to the top of the Brazilian doubles rankings and reached the peak of his career at the age of 37.
This week he will make his Australian Open debut, partnering compatriot Marcelo Melo. The Australian Open is the worldBig fourOne of the Tennis Opens, the other three being the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open. Currently, he is the 39th ranked doubles player in the world.
Romboli didn’t decide to switch from singles to doubles after suffering a big loss or hitting an emotional low. For years, he has hovered on the fringes of the world’s top 200, competing in Grand Slam qualifying tournaments andchallengetournament, while at the same time, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic are emerging and establishing themselves as the greatest players in the history of the sport (GOAT).
But there is a structural problem with the scoring system for tennis players. “A rule change by the ATP (Professional Tennis Federation) effectively took away my chance to continue playing singles,” he told AustraliaNeoFeedsaid during the interview.
Ranked close to 500 in singles (his best ranking was 236 in June 2011) and around 190 in doubles, he had to make a choice: either downgrade to participate in smaller tournaments, which were costly and offered little return, or focus on areas where there was room for improvement.
Tennis, like business, has invisible layers. Below a certain level, the effort increases exponentially, while the financial rewards and improvements in competitiveness decrease.
“If I continued to play simply, I would have to invest more money. I knew that it didn’t make sense in the circumstances,” Romboli said.
While many would consider giving up high-level competitive sports, Romboli has maturely adjusted his “career.” He began to devote himself fully to doubles competition, not as an alternative to his career, but as a strategy.
life and death
On the professional circuit, doubles play has its own logic. Unlike singles rankings, being ranked in the world’s top 100 does not guarantee qualifications for top events.
“In doubles, it’s equivalent to being in the top 100 in singles, which is equivalent to being in the top 70 in doubles,” he said.
Romboli’s world ranking has been hovering between 80 and 120, and he has been unable to break through the bottleneck for many years. However, he never gave up.
“It wasn’t an emotional decision. I knew I was in a good position with the duo and that we had a realistic path forward.”
This clarity is crucial. In 2025, he broke through the bottleneck: reaching the semi-finals of the Indian Wells Masters 1000 event, winning the Houston ATP Tour (partnering with Australian John Patrick Smith), and achieving stable results at the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open. The rankings also improved, and he reached the pinnacle of his career at his peak.
“Today, the age structure has changed. There are many top doubles players who are over 40 years old. The game tests more psychological quality and focuses more on decision-making,” he said.
Hidden costs
There are many hidden costs behind this journey that those who only watch tennis on TV cannot see. Tennis players are not paid, they are more like investors. Flights, hotels, coaching, meals – all costs are borne by the athletes themselves. andbonusOften they can barely cover these expenses.
Romboli said: “challengerRarely lose money and usually break even. The purpose of your investment is to break through the bottleneck. If you can’t break through, you will be eliminated. “
The Brazilian tennis player, now ranked No. 1 in the world, is sponsored by sportswear brand Live!, iFood Benefícios and software company Prognum. But before that, he made another unusual decision.
To stay in the competition, Romboli had to become an entrepreneur and founded 3F Travel, a travel agency that initially started by word of mouth and grew without social media. “I sponsor myself,” he said.
The venture provided him with financial security, allowing him to continue competing despite the lack of sponsors. But it also brings new challenges, such as how to allocate time between training and company management.
“Sometimes I miss training to deal with something. But without those things, I probably wouldn’t have played at all,” he said.
Romboli, 37, is at the peak of his career. He doesn’t think this is a contradiction. In tennis, especially doubles, victory is not determined by consistently playing better, but by performing on key points.
That sentiment extends off the court as well. He acknowledged the pair’s limitations in terms of exposure, particularly in attracting major sponsors.
Even so, he remains ambitious. He wants to be in the top 30, the top 20, the top 10. This is not out of vanity, but because he knows there is still room for improvement.
Romboli’s experience also reflects the recent history of Brazilian tennis. He started playing tennis as a child, thanks to the so-called “Gugamania” of the late 1990s, when Gustavo Kuerten was leading Brazilian tennis to the top of the world.
Twenty years later, he reached the peak of his career and opened a new chapter. During this period, Bea Haddad Maya established a firm foothold in women’s tennis, while João Fonseca rose like a comet and was hailed as the star of hope for the new generation of Brazilian tennis. The Brazilian tennis landscape has changed dramatically in a short period of time, and Romboli has changed with it.
