FORMER World No 7 Barbara Schett singled out goal-setting and exposure as the key points for players wanting to make a successful professional career in tennis.
"Players need to set goals and must be consistent with training but most importantly they must do it willingly.
"It is important to push yourself but make sure you are doing it because you want it and not for other people," Barbara told Timesport during the recent Australian Open in Melbourne.
"Exposure at a young age is important. I started at three and, at 14 or 15 I played my first grand slam at the French Open.
"I did not do well but my failure made me more motivated to train and try harder.
"Training is the key for players. I used to train for six or seven hours a day including on-court practice, gym sessions and conditioning.
"A person needs to love tennis in order to stay focused as it is a fulltime job."
Barbara's advice should be noted by local players, Jawairiah Noordin and 16-year-old Choo Lyn Yuen, who both will play in the BMW Malaysian Open which starts with the qualifying round today.
Jawairiah's best result since turning professional in 2007 was reaching the semi-finals of the ITF Surakata Open four years ago.
The 22-year-old, however, has not made any impact in international events except for the team event bronze medals at the 2007 and 2009 Sea Games.
As for Lyn Yuen, who won the 2010 Brunei Junior Championships, she will be making her maiden appearance in a WTA Tour event at the Malaysian Open.
"Players must learn from each failure and make adjustments to move forward.
"My advice to them is to give their best shot in the tournament," said the 36-year-old.
Barbara said local tennis federations must also support their top junior players.
"Players need the funding to cover their training and competition expenses but of course, parents must also do their part.
"When I was a junior, my tennis was funded by the Austrian federation until I was about 18 and 19 and after that I was on my own.
"It was not hard for me as I was always the No 1 in my age-group," added Barbara.
Barbara, who won 13 tour titles in both singles and doubles before retiring in 2005, is now a Eurosport presenter.
