| | Operation Sports:Climbing the Ladder
By Shawn Drotar
So, here you are, a fresh-faced kid with a brand-new racquet ready to take on the world … You think you’ve got what it takes to play with the top players in the world, right? You think you can hang with Lleyton, Guga, and James Blake? How about Anna K., Daniela Hantuchova, and the Swiss Miss? Well, let’s see you prove it! With the Career mode in Top Spin™, you can!
After you’ve created your virtual alter ego using the game’s robust player editor, it’s time to start your climb to the top of the professional ranks. You’ll start your career in the continent of your player’s home country. In any of the six continents, you’ll find airports, coaches, companies willing to sponsor you, sports shops, salons, and tournaments of all levels. All of these places have value to the aspiring young pro.
Make your way to the top.
Sports shops and salons are the places to go when you want to change your equipment or update your look. Each continent has a sports shop, and they all have different stock—so be sure to visit them all. The airport will take you from continent to continent, and show you which sponsors and coaches are located on each.
Coaches come in three varieties: Bronze, Silver, and Gold. Each leveled coach can help you master each different type of tennis shot. There are serve coaches, forehand coaches, backhand coaches, and volley coaches. In any career, you can apply a maximum of 14 “stars” to your player’s masteries. That won’t be enough to completely master every shot, so some planning is necessary when selecting which coaches you’ll learn from. When you select a lesson, you’ll be challenged by your coach to complete a drill—an enjoyable minigame that helps hone the skill you’re working on. If you succeed, the star is yours, and your skill improves. As you try more advanced lessons, the drills will get much more difficult, and the cost for each lesson will increase. That’s right. Coaches don’t come cheaply, so you’ll have to earn “coin” to pay for their services. You’ll have enough at the start to take one or two lessons, but to learn more, you’ll have to make money in tournaments.
Tournaments that you’re ineligible for will be colored gray and have a lock icon over them. Tournaments that you can play in are sparkling gold, and selecting them will allow you to play. You’ll start out as a Minor Pro, meaning that you can only enter low-level (and low-paying) tournaments. As you win these tournaments, you’ll make more coin, and visit coaches to increase your skills. As you climb through the ranks, you’ll become a Young Gun, Star, and hopefully a Legend. More tournaments with more prize money will become available for you to enter, as your work your way up to competing in the Grand Slams with the best of the best. Win all 24 Tournaments around the world, and you’ve become a Legend! 
Work hard; become a Legend.
To help you manage your career, select the Nexus from the world map. You’ll see your career at a glance and be able to plan your next move. The Scrapbook keeps track of all the trophies you’ve won and displays landmark achievements in your career. The Rankings will show you where you stand among the world’s professional ranks. You’ll start at the bottom, but keep at it and you’ll be climbing the ranks in no time! Your Player Sheet will show you the pertinent details of your players, including their skills and career earnings. Your Sport Bag displays all of the equipment and clothing you’ve obtained through sponsorship or purchase, and you can mix and match from here at your discretion. Player Stats will give you a breakdown of your career numbers, and the World Map will take you back to the game. It’s all right here.
From the playgrounds to the cathedrals of tennis, aspiring players strive to be the best. With Top Spin, it’s now your turn, so hit the courts today!
Shawn Drotar is the Managing Editor of OperationSports.com and pens the regular columns “Starting 5” and “Splinters From The Pine”. Shawn is proud to provide exclusive coverage for Xbox.com, and he can be contacted via e-mail at: shawn@operationsports.com.
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