LOS ANGELES • 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 because of the coronavirus shutdown.
The season was halted early last month as a result of the pandemic, leaving lesser-known players, who depend solely on tournament winnings, without the opportunity to earn a living.
In a letter posted on Twitter, 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 wrote.
"They're paying for their travels. They're paying fixed salaries to their coaching staff, while their own salaries depend on the number of matches they win."
Tennis rewards its top players handsomely, but those in the lower echelons often have trouble making ends meet.
The Frenchman Mouratoglou, who started working with former women's world No. 1 Williams in 2012 and has guided her to 10 of her 23 Grand Slam singles titles, said the top players deserved everything they earned.
He added: "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 men's ATP Tour and the women's WTA Tour have suspended all events until mid-July after countries started locking down their borders to contain the spread of Covid-19.
A 2018 International Review Panel report said only 250 to 350 players earned enough to break even and the pandemic has exacerbated the situation.
In response to world No. 375 Sofia Shapatava's plea for financial assistance, both tours have said they are working to boost players' earnings when the sport resumes and may extend the season, which traditionally ends in November.
On the need to protect the tennis ecosystem, Mouratoglou added: "We can't leave lower-ranked players behind any more. This isn't right.
"Tennis needs change. Let's use this free time to start a discussion."
World No. 21 John Isner, however, fears things are only going to get worse the longer the crisis goes on because of the international nature of the sport.
"It's definitely different for tennis than for a lot of other sports. I hope I am wrong but I feel like tennis might be one of the last sports to get going," he told ESPN yesterday.
"Countries and cities might have different rules about who can enter or compete. It's a big question mark for tennis right now, no doubt, as our competitors are scattered all over the world."
REUTERS
