Money and more money! When will it be ours?

US-Open offers US$ 53 million

In Australia and in England, there was a time when players were banned from tournaments for accepting money. Just for sparing with club players in an afternoon to make ends meet. It did not happen eons ago, just a few decades back. Since then, the sporting world has changed unrecognisably.

In recent times, prize money at Tennis Grand-Slams have been passing the US$ 30 million mark. This year’s US-Open, which begins late August, has announced the purse is US$53 million. Singles winners will take home over US$ 4 million. A figure most today will not earn in their lifetimes.

The annual ‘prize money’, only in the professional circuit, is now over US$ 500 million. Tennis, as an industry, must be worth billions of dollars. The actual figure is anybody’s guess.

Tennis stables

‘Stables’ is a terminology from horse racing. It could be said that, worldwide, every academy for very young and the professionals is nothing short of ‘Tennis stables’ today. There is no amateurism in Tennis anymore. By way of description, national associations are working for prestige, prominence and to remain attractive to the millions who are stepping into the game. The would-be Tennis player number today, globally, is in the millions.

The Rights to the professional prize money events have to be purchased today. These events are categorized by the size of the prize money, size of the draw, status of the event and the ranking points awarded. Tennis today, is prestige and money-based.

Changing times

Sport was a pursuit of friendship and lifelong alliances with people. This is a beautiful thing. I do not see this anymore and do not expect it to appear again, even in our little island.I n the past, I have seen parents of players seated together and enjoy watching their children play.

Now, even in a teenage age group event, two camps are formed in two different areas, well away from each other, and conduct verbal and physical fist- sign Viking-war campaign, encouraging their players. [It is ‘ War and no Peace’ and not-by Tolstoy] Unfortunately, the quality of Tennis is not going to improve in this scenario.

This has been going on for a good while, and this schism between players, families and coaches are the reasons why we are not the beneficiary of the big money in the world of professional Tennis. While ‘stables’ can ‘introduce’ technical skills, only playing ‘Sets’ in practice, with varied number of players, will make a player strategical, tactical and acquire the all-important Game and Sets compilation ability to win matches. A player needs good match practice for over 6 years to be successful at WTA and ATP level competition. This is why the least expected go far and the talented only read about themelves in the international press.

There are less than 40 countries in the 1st 100 of the world and the trend is the same in the top 1,000 of the ranking in both genders. These are the Tennis-happening countries. We are not there. Excessive age group Tennis interest has been the cause of our downfall from being successful in the professional Tennis world. So many Tennis associations have this situation and none have tried to rectify it or, see no way to do it.

The local test

Every year, we conduct ITF-Future, which are open professional events. They belong to the entry level prize money events of US$ 15,000 category. Mostly, our players’ entry into these draws are at the ‘mercy’ of wild-card systems, than on merit. This makes all what we hear and read about our development in Tennis as mere ‘Hot air’. Even the ones who go a little far, and there are 2 Men, do not possess the game quality to win the event, even sporadically. This makes the existence and survival prospects of Tennis questionable, over a decade from now.

For comprehensive development of ‘bases’ our players ‘need not’ go overseas to train. Many went overseas and are never to be heard again in the last 15 years. Bases for good Tennis can be very easily achieved up to the age of 17, in this soil.

For competition exposure, after a certain standard, we have to travel and play. Not around the globe, as the countries around us are enough. However, this will be fruitful only if the players are in ‘performance culture’. It is a factor more of personality based which evolves by dedication and perseverance, rather than time spent in the name of training and in ‘tamashas’.

Anderson and the Carrot

"Show a carrot and the donkey will move", is an old folk tale. The dollar carrot is dangling. For those who seek comfort, convenience, glamour and prominence, the dollar carrot will not be reachable. Only those who believe in skill, strength, speed, stamina, suppleness and stability of the body, and developing a personality to endure everything till the end, and be smart in the likes of Kevin Anderson in the last Wimbledon, will touch the dollars. Kevin Anderson is a much lesser player than maestro Roger Federer. Anderson beat Federer and is World No.3 now. He comes from Africa, not much known for Tennis– a lesson in living!

George Paldano, Former int. player; Accredited Coach of German Federation; National coach Sri

Lanka & Brunei, Davis-Cup, Federation Cup captain/coach-contact 94 77 544 8880 geo

dano2015@gmail.com -