Coronavirus: Relief kitty for players started

NEW YORK • The leaders of tennis' governing bodies have announced the creation of a relief fund to help lower-ranked players weather the crisis created by the coronavirus pandemic.

While the final details are still being negotiated, the fund is expected to amount to more than US$6 million (S$8.56 million), with US$1 million in contributions expected to come from each of the four Grand Slam tournaments.

"It's taken us a little bit of time, but the good news is that we'll be addressing this in the right way," said David Haggerty, the president of the International Tennis Federation (ITF), on Tuesday.

The men's and women's Tours - the ATP and the WTA - are also expected to contribute about US$1 million each.

The ITF, which oversees many of the lower-level professional events, will also contribute, even though it recently announced furloughs and temporary salary reductions. Haggerty said the ITF would contribute out of its reserves.

The fund, which is to be administered by the ATP and WTA Tours, will primarily benefit men's and women's players ranked outside the top 200 in the world in singles.

The professional tours have been on hiatus since early March because of the pandemic.

Though the game's stars have ample reserves to help them weather this long, unexpected break, lower-ranked players are in a more vulnerable position. The concern among the game's leaders is that some promising talents could leave the sport altogether.

"Especially outside the top 100, a lot of guys tend to make their living on a week-to-week basis," said Christopher Eubanks, a 23-year-old American ranked 238th on the ATP Tour. "Any kind of financial assistance would allow us to be able to maintain our necessities."

Novak Djokovic, the top-ranked men's player who is also president of the ATP players' council, has been pushing for relief for those ranked between No. 250 and No. 700. He has support from Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, who are also on the council.

The trio have proposed that the top 100 men's singles players contribute to the relief fund on a sliding scale, with those in the top five contributing US$30,000 and those ranked from No. 51 to No. 100 contributing US$5,000. Top 20 doubles players would also contribute US$5,000 each. In total, this would generate about US$1 million.

Relief fund (US$6 million) created by the International Tennis Federation, in conjunction with ATP, WTA and the four Grand Slams.

But Djokovic said in an Instagram Live session on Tuesday that the players had not embraced the scaled concept and that any donations would be voluntary.

"It's difficult to pressure players into giving money, whatever their ranking is," he said. "I understand that there are differences in opinion. So I invite anybody who likes tennis, who wants tennis to survive as a sport (to donate)."

It is unclear whether the leading women's players are considering a similar proposal, but Steve Simon, the chief executive of the women's tour, confirmed that the WTA had already provided approximately US$3 million in relief to its players.

He said that had come through rebates on membership fees and from payment of the equivalent of first-round prize money for the BNP Paribas Open tournament, which was postponed shortly before it was to begin in early March in Indian Wells, California.

NYTIMES, REUTERS