Serena's coach says 'revolting'
that players can't make a living
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[April 08, 2020]
MUMBAI (Reuters) - Serena
Williams' coach Patrick Mouratoglou has called on tennis governing
bodies to come together and devise a way of helping lower level
professionals struggling financially due to the coronavirus
shutdown.
The tennis season was halted in early March due to the pandemic,
leaving players in the lower tiers who solely depend on tournament
winnings without the opportunity to earn a living.
In a letter posted on Twitter and addressed to the tennis community,
Mouratoglou said the current situation showed how "dysfunctional"
the sport was.
"Unlike basketball or football players, tennis players aren't
covered by fixed annual salaries. They're independent contractors,"
he said.
"They're paying for their travels. They're paying fixed salaries to
their coaching staffs, while their own salaries depend on the number
of matches they win."
While tennis rewards top players handsomely those in the lower
echelons often struggle to make ends meet.
Mouratoglou, who started working with Williams in 2012 and has
guided her to 10 of her 23 Grand Slam singles titles, said the top
players deserved everything they earned.
"However, I find it revolting that the 100th-best player of one of
the most popular sports in the world – followed by an estimated one
billion fans – is barely able to make a living out of it," the
Frenchman said.
The men's ATP Tour and the WTA, which runs the women's circuit,
suspended all tournaments until mid-July after countries started
locking down their borders to contain the spread of the flu-like
virus.
A 2018 International Review Panel report commissioned to address
betting and integrity issues said that players in the lowest tiers
were susceptible to corruption because of the difficulty in making a
living.
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Serena Williams of the U.S. coach Patrick Mouratoglou before
practice REUTERS/Hannah McKay
Only 250-350 players, the report said, earned enough to break even.
Georgia's Sofia Shapatava, the world's 375th ranked women's singles
player, has started a petition seeking assistance from the
International Tennis Federation for lower-level professionals.
Many others have joined her to voice their concerns about the
financial hardships players face during the shutdown.
The WTA and the ATP said they were working to boost players'
earnings when the sport resumed and might extend the 2020 season to
allow more tournaments to be held.
Mouratoglou said it was crucial to keep lower-level players in the
game.
"We all rely on those governing bodies, who have the power to
protect the professional tennis economy and hold social
responsibility," he added.
"We can't leave lower-ranked players behind anymore. This isn't
right. Tennis needs change. Let's use this free time to start a
discussion."
(Reporting by Sudipto Ganguly; editing by Peter Rutherford)
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