With the tennis calendar halted, many of the lower ranked players are struggling financially. Organisers from different factions of tennis had created a relief fund to raise money. This was led by Novak Djokovic, president of the tennis council, along with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. The program had received a lot of support from stakeholders of the sport. World No 3 Dominic Thiem has however, said that he will not be contributing.
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Thiem feels lower ranked players don’t deserve his hard earned money. He voiced his concerns during an interview with Krone Sport. “None of the lower-ranked players have to fight for their lives. I’ve seen players on the ITF-Tour who don’t commit to the sport 100 per cent. Many of them are quite unprofessional. I don’t see why I should give them money. I’d rather donate to people and institutions who really need it. There is no profession in the world where you are guaranteed success and high income at the start of your career. None of the top players took anything for granted. We all had to fight our way up the rankings,” said Thiem.
The joint decision to raise funds was aimed at raising at least $4.5 million. The decision was made by the ATP Player Council, where Djokovic is the chief, ATP, WTA, ITF and organisers of the four Grand Slams. Tennis being a lucrative sport, top ranked players won’t be bothered financially, but the same can’t be said for those at the bottom pile. They depend mostly on weekly tournament earnings to make ends meet. While this is true, Thiem’s statement that they don’t deserve his hard earned money isn’t without substance. Whether a player donates or not, is his personal choice. Those who reached the top did not do it in a fortnight. Most of them had to struggle a lot before they reached the pinnacle or at a stage where they could be financially well-off.
The COVID-19 outbreak has halted the tennis season indefinitely. While it is still unclear whether it will resume this season, the entire grass court season has been called off including Wimbledon.
