Brian Baker’s biggest choice of his tennis career was not if to turn pro, but when.

He had weighed the options. If he had gone to college, he said, it would have been for a year or two – no more. In the end, the 6-foot-3 Nashville, Tenn., native turned down SEC powerhouses Vanderbilt and Florida – his top two choices – and jumped to the pro circuit.

He has not been disappointed with his results.

Baker, a mature, rather soft-spoken 19-year old, made his choice to turn pro after high school to get a head start on his opponents.

He felt he could handle the intense training, competition and traveling.

Throughout his junior career he had dominated almost every level he played at. He was the first American in 14 years to reach the finals of the French Open Junior Championships in 2003 when he lost to Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland. He had also been the No. 2 ranked junior player in the world for part of that year.

Many agree that Baker’s decision was a good one.

“It’s a fine line between the guys who can make it and the guys who can’t,” said former Vanderbilt All-American Bobby Reynolds, a member of Baker’s training group. “Brian Baker has more talent than a bunch of people. I don’t care if you’ve gone through college or if you’re 30-years old; he knows the game really well.”

Baker’s goal in his first full year on the pro circuit was to make it into the top 200 of the world – a feat he accomplished last summer. Everything after that, including winning the doubles title at the Northwestern Mutual/Wright Financial Group United States Tennis Association Challenger in Champaign last November, was “just icing on the cake.”

But he knows he has a lot of improvement ahead of him, and the road to the top will not be easy. During his first full year as a pro, he went undefeated in only two tournaments. However, he said, he knew when he made the transition to the pro circuit, it would be filled with losses.

“You’re going to be losing more than you ever have once you turn pro because the competition is so great,” Baker said. “I’m not supposed to be winning many matches. The wins will come later.”

– Amber Greviskes