Tennis: All Purpose Tennis Thread XII

[discostu]

The Australian Open used to be the last open of the calendar year in December I think, that was part of the problem. Sort of like the Belmont for horses, people didn’t want to go unless there was a Grand Slam on the line, say if Borg had ever won the US Open and got the first three legs then he’d have gone to Australia. It’s less avoidable now that it’s first up on the schedule instead of last up.

I think the fact that greatness is measured in Grand Slams, that it'll never be an issue for the elite tier going forward, and for those outside the top tier, the money is far too good to pass up.

From what I understand of the economics of the sport, the smaller challenger tournaments out there are barely break even events when you consider travel and expenses, but, it gets you points to qualify you for the majors.

 

[discostu]

Some behind the scenes news involving one of our favourite Canadians around here.

Pospisil was leading a players meeting to get support for a petition from players for increased prize money.

Sounds like he has Djokovic's support, but neither Nadal or Federer have endorsed it. For any such action to work, you'd need that top level commitment. Having Djokovic on board at this stage though does indicate that this may go somewhere.

Players petition to boost prize money on men's tour as tennis's backstage turmoil continues in New York

 

[discostu]

Good post. There's too much money on the ATP tour. The minor leaguers spend all their money on flights and hotels and live on mac & cheese and ramen. They're the ones who need more money. Here's some good stories: ATP, ITF making hasty adjustments to revamp of tennis's minor leagues

Minor league players start United Tennis union to oppose ITF changes

No Frills, No Crowds, No Money: The Lonely Road to Tennis Glory

Thousands of Players, Hundreds of Events and Little Reward

I always find the business sides of sports or entertainment to be fascinating, so I've been really intrigued by this story.

I think the players arguing have a great point. The payouts are pretty low compared to other sports. But, I also find that there's some very unique elements to tennis that probably make things challenging, like having stadiums built for tournaments lasting a week or two, and then sitting idle.

Still, from what I can see from Pospisil, he seems to be asking for very reasonable requests, mainly bringing some transparency to the revenues so players can negotiate their share.

I also find it interesting that the top players may be resisting, where the lower levels are willing to take action. It makes sense, as the financial issues don't impact the top players the same way. But, that must be creating tension behind the scenes.

 

[discostu]

Plenty of businesses have half employee compensation as 50% of revenues, so I'm not following that argument.

As for tennis, I don't think they're even pushing for 50/50. They're still trying to get at what's the revenues are.

Player compensation in the sport still lags well below other sports, despite being a popular global sport. It seems natural for players to try and negotiate the best deal they can get when they lag well below their peers.

 

[MsMeow]

Why don't Roger and Rafa approve of this?

 

[discostu]

Why don't Roger and Rafa approve of this?

It's impossible to know their reasons unless they make a statement, but it's pretty natural for players at the top to not want to rock the boat. They're getting paid regardless, and often changes to compensation structures impacts people at the top. Plus, if the threat is boycott, Fedal may not want to risk another shot at a GS.

It's more surprising to see Djokovic on board.

 

[kihei]

Anna Kournikova and she's still pretty cute.

 

[MsMeow]

These 2 players reached #s 8 & 13 in the world respectively. Who are they?

Carling Basset and Helen Kelesi.

 

[discostu]

Excluding the service industry, name a company that pays half it's gross revenue in payroll.

Tech and professional services are two sectors where it's pretty reasonable to find that.

 

[Pensionsraddare]

Medvedev acted like a f***ing tosser last night. Not a true champion. Gonna hope he loses now.

 

[awfulwaffle]

Why is dick commenting on tennis?

 

[MsMeow]

We have a US Open thread below

 

[Ben Grimm]

Carling Basset and Helen Kelesi.

Ms Meow > kihei

 

[BKIslandersFan]

Medvedev acted like a ****ing tosser last night. Not a true champion. Gonna hope he loses now.

Are you kidding me? He cut the greatest heel wrestling promo ever!

 

[Tuggy]

17 year old Leylah Fernandez qualified in Hiroshima (ATP 250 equivalent).

 

[discostu]

17 year old Leylah Fernandez qualified in Hiroshima (ATP 250 equivalent).

She seems to be another promising prospect, having gotten to the AO junior finals and winning juniors at RG this year and success in something of the ITF tournaments.

 

[NyQuil]

Well, the user name refers to the area on Maui which we stay, not specifically to any of the beaches of Kihei of which there are several. Kihei is as funky and affordable as Maui gets with lots of bars, nightlife, restaurants, stores, markets, scuba shops, etc. Just a neat place to hang out and watch the sunsets unfold and the whales jump (Kihei waters provide a sort of nursery for humpbacks who put on some spectacular shows for all to watch from mid December through most of May).

I spend a fair amount of time in Maui as well. The wife's favourite place on Earth.

We've ended up on the Kaanapali side more often than not.

 

[Tuggy]

She seems to be another promising prospect, having gotten to the AO junior finals and winning juniors at RG this year and success in something of the ITF tournaments.

She drew Hibino in the first round, who Leylah actually beat in those ITF tournaments this summer twice.

So she should have confidence.

 

[kihei]

I spend a fair amount of time in Maui as well. The wife's favourite place on Earth.

We've ended up on the Kaanapali side more often than not.

Nice side to end up on. I've spent a fair amount of time shopping at Whaler's Village, but never stayed in Kaanapali. We do the hotel lobbies, grounds and shops at least once a visit and make sure to get lunch at the Burger Shack restaurant in Kapalua at least once, too. We used to go all the way around to Wailuku and Kahului, but that seems frowned on now because of the conditions of the roads. That was a whole different kind of beauty.

 

[Tuggy]

She drew Hibino in the first round, who Leylah actually beat in those ITF tournaments this summer twice.

So she should have confidence.

Well she lost a tough 3 setter.

 

[discostu]

Well she lost a tough 3 setter.

Yeah, I saw the score line. Too bad. That's a long way to travel for a first round exit.

 

[JaymzB]

Nice side to end up on. I've spent a fair amount of time shopping at Whaler's Village, but never stayed in Kaanapali. We do the hotel lobbies, grounds and shops at least once a visit and make sure to get lunch at the Burger Shack restaurant in Kapalua at least once, too. We used to go all the way around to Wailuku and Kahului, but that seems frowned on now because of the conditions of the roads. That was a whole different kind of beauty.

Is the drive to Hana using the southern route still not covered by rental insurance, or have they improved that road?

 

[kihei]

Is the drive to Hana using the southern route still not covered by rental insurance, or have they improved that road?

I'm not sure, but I think so. Doesn't prevent anyone from making it, though. If there is a more beautiful drive anywhere in the world, I'd like to know where it is. Thailand, Costa Rica, Big Sur, and the Amalfi Coast are all contenders in my experience, but nothing takes my breath away like Hana.

Anyway I was referring to the other side of the island, Kapalua to Kahului, which is also stunning, but beautiful in a different way. I'm not sure insurance covers that anymore.

 

[Tuggy]

Yeah, I saw the score line. Too bad. That's a long way to travel for a first round exit.

Apparently she served for the match in both the second and third set. Lots of talent there at 17 years old, but tough loss.

I see Andresscu is on the entry list for the Asian swing. She's scheduled to play in Osaka next week.

 

[discostu]

Apparently she served for the match in both the second and third set. Lots of talent there at 17 years old, but tough loss.

I see Andresscu is on the entry list for the Asian swing. She's scheduled to play in Osaka next week.

I misread that and saw she would play Osaka, and thought to myself, even after moving to 5th seed, she can't catch a break on the draw.

We'll see if she stays in the draw. I bet she needed to declare before the US Open. Her team may give her some rest.

It actually will be nice for her to get to tournaments and have a bit of a softer draw to start now that she's in the top 5. She probably only needs to play one tournament before Beijing.

And, I was typing this, I see a tweet that she's withdrawn from Osaka. Smart move.