The international tennis Federation (ITF), the Association of tennis professionals (ATP), Womens tennis Association (WTA) and the organizers of the four Grand slam tournaments have announced the establishment of a joint Fund to combat the effects of the pandemic in the amount of $6 million, funds from which will go to help athletes with low ratings. On payments can expect around 800 players for 400 men and women in singles and doubles, however, the criteria according to which will receive financial assistance to specific players, is still not formulated.The fundamental decision about helping tennis players with low ratings who are experiencing serious financial difficulties in connection with the stop professional calendar, it became known in mid-April. By the time the seven largest tennis organizations ITF, ATP, WTA, and the national Federation of Australia, France, USA and the all England lawn tennis club (the organisers of the four Grand slam tournaments) have already begun to discuss a coordinated program of financial support to the tennis community. While the creators of the new Fund immediately faced with the need to develop clear criteria under which aid is to be distributed.Focused on several aspects. For example, what place in the rating should take the athlete to receive financial aid, should take into account its age, size, previous earnings, personal sponsors, and even nationality. After Federation, France, the UK and the USA had already announced the establishment of programs to support their players. Meanwhile, three tennis superstar Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer — also suggested a hundred strongest tennis players singles and twenty top greenhouses to help their colleagues. Therefore, additionally, was expected to raise more than $1 million, and then add them to the General Fund or to distribute separately.An official announcement on the establishment of a programme of assistance to the players in relation to the pandemic COVID-19-expected last week, but in the end it appeared only on Tuesday evening. On the official websites of seven leading governing tennis organizations at the same time it was announced that a special Fund of $6 million the money will be divided equally between men and women. However, the rules according to which distribution of funds of the Fund is still not formulated. The official report only States that “the right to participate in the program assistance will be provided depending on the rating of the player, as well as previous prize income in accordance with the criteria agreed upon with all stakeholders”. Thus, according to the opinion of the member of the Board of Directors of the ITF Alexei Selivanenko, the decision on the allocation of funds de facto transferred to the ATP and WTA. “In this case to raise money turned out to be much easier than to agree on the mechanism of their distribution. Anyway, at the beginning of work on creation of the Fund from seven organizations had complete unity on this issue”,— stressed Mr. Selivanenko.According to a member of the Board of the WTA players Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, the work on forming the corresponding criteria is for about a month. “The players Council is actively involved in this process,— said “Kommersant” the lady Pavlyuchenkova.— We collect data of all the players, their approximate income and expenses and on the basis of this information, looking for the formula distribution of funds. It is clear that the program is designed to help players with a low rating are those who are below the 100-th place and up to 400 or 500-th”.With regard to the proposal of the “big three” ATP, the discussion about this turned into a discussion of a separate topic of ethical nature. The reason is in part the statement made by Novak Djokovic. Players holding a single ranking place 1st to 5th, Serb proposed to allocate to the aid of their colleagues by $30 thousand; from the 5th to 10th place — $20 thousand; c 10 th to 20-th place — $15 thousand; from 20 th to 50 th place — $10 thousand; from 50 th to 100-th place, and twenty of the strongest greenhouses — $5 thousand, This option has caused a categorical rejection of a large part athletes, because of the level of prize money three of the most famous and renowned tennis player in the world far ahead of the rest. Sam Novak Djokovic with the highest prize amount in history, for a career earned more than $143 million, Roger Federer — nearly $130 million, and Rafael Nadal — nearly $121 million compared with them, the Russian Daniil Medvedev (5th in ranking) is a very modest figure — only $11.2 million In the acknowledgement of imperfection “formula Djokovic” one can cite many other examples. For example, in the top twenty stand near the Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka (17) c $34.2 million and Chilean Christian Garin (18) c $2.2 million and indeed the player’s position in the world classification cannot serve as an objective indicator of its financial position. Thus, the 25-year-old Italian Gianluca Madzher with $461 thousand at the moment occupies 77-e a place, and the 32-year-old Mikhail Zverev, the brother of the winner of the final ATP tournament of 2018 Alexander Zverev from Germany, with $5.6 million, is only 258-E. According to the two-time US Open finalist Russian Mikhail Youzhny, who currently trains 16-th racket of the world canadian Denis Shapovalov, not all tennis players from first hundred rating ATP share the idea of Djokovic. “Of course, in tennis there are players who need help, but first of all we should define the criteria. Besides real��ting charity on the part of specific individuals can be based only on voluntariness. Any obligation in these cases smacks of populism,” said Mr. southern.”The main thing — to do so in the future in case of an emergency not to render assistance to a large number of people, rather, they are a priori it is not needed,— said Alexei Selivanenko.— But for this the ratio of the prize, which is awarded to winners of tournaments and those players who depart early, must change.”Recall that at the moment of the official tennis calendar is suspended until July 13, before Sep its renewal is not expected.Eugene Fedyakov
