International Student Athletes Squeezing Out Americans

The 2025 Wimbledon Championships are over. Played over two weeks, the world's oldest and most prestigious tennis tournament has been held on grass courts since 1877. The tournament's major storylines were predictable. Analysts wondered if 37-year-old Novak Djokovic would win his 25th Grand Slam title; he didn't. Would Coco Gauff repeat her French Open success? She lost in the first round. Off-court observations abounded as well. The Princess of Wales Kate Middleton's emotional reaction to the standing ovation she received from fans gave a boost to cancer survivors worldwide. Tennis great Martina Navratilova, who successfully beat back two cancers at once, joined the princess in her courtside box.

The most compelling backstory, however, was played up by broadcasters but they glossed over its consequences for American tennis players. Wimbledon saw a record-setting year as 35 players with ties to college tennis participated in the Gentlemen's and Ladies' Singles Main Draws. Of the 35, 21 were foreign nationals from 14 different countries. Among those nations represented were Argentina, Canada, Denmark, Egypt, Great Britain, New Zealand, Portugal, Russia, and Ukraine. These players arrived on F-1 student visas and secured tennis spots that may otherwise have gone to American citizen players. The universities that recruited Wimbledon's international players include Illinois, Kentucky, Mississippi State, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Old Dominion, San Diego State, and South Carolina.

The San Diego State Aztecs represent a good example of what has happened to college tennis. The area south of Los Angeles to San Ysidro is abundant with young tennis talent. For example, the Williams sisters, Serena and Venus, grew up playing on the public hard courts in Compton. The Women’s Tennis Association ranked both sisters at the world No. 1 position in both singles and doubles. Other California-born greats include Don Budge, the first male to win the calendar Grand Slam defined as victories in the Australian, French, Wimbledon, and U.S. Open tournaments; Maureen Connolly, the first female to achieve the calendar Grand Slam; and ten-time Wimbledon winner Billie Jean King, who took her first tennis lessons on Long Beach's public courts.

Despite this wealth of California tennis excellence, the Aztecs' 2024-2025 nine-man roster consists of three Germans, three French, two Estonians, one Canadian, and one American. For taxpaying parents of accomplished high school tennis players, looking at the Aztecs tennis team must be a head-scratching moment. Unlike California’s parents, international parents have not contributed a penny toward funding the state’s public university system.

The University of Delaware is a prime example of flooding its squads with non-Americans. In 2017, the Blue Hens soccer team had eight international players among its 25 team members; the field hockey team featured six women from the Netherlands and one from Germany; of the nine players on the women's golf team, seven were born overseas. Through video, various recruiting services help match international players with U.S. colleges. Administrators, coaches, and the players all hail the presence of player diversity. Delaware's then-soccer coach, Ireland-born Ian Hennessy, termed the blend of international players with Americans "transformational." Hennessey’s American journey began at Seton Hall in East Orange, New Jersey. Before landing at Delaware, Hennessey had coaching jobs at Rutgers University and Boston College but never returned permanently to his Irish homeland.

While there are over 20 sports for student-athletes to play at the collegiate level, several sports recruiters pursue many international students. These sports include tennis, soccer, field hockey, track and cross country, baseball, basketball, and softball.

The F-1 visa is typically associated with the ever-increasing numbers of academic students from abroad enrolled in U.S. universities. In 2023-24, 1.1 million international students matriculated at U.S. colleges and universities. After these individuals graduate, many never return home and enter the labor market. The original intent of the F-1 visa was for recipients to apply the knowledge gained at U.S. colleges and take their education and diplomas back home to improve their native country’s future.

The income opportunities for the most successful student athletes are too lucrative to abandon. For an NCAA competitor, even modest success on the tennis tour is financially rewarding. A first-round win at Wimbledon pays $90,000, and millions may await in Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) revenue. With so many incentives to stay in the U.S. and so few reasons to return home, their choice is obvious. Most F-1 athletes elect to remain in America to enjoy its societal and financial benefits.

Joe Guzzardi is an Institute for Sound Public Policy analyst. Contact him at jguzzardi@ifspp.org