I think it is really easy, sitting in the luxury and comfort of the commentator's chair, to make the statements that Cahill and McEnroe made about this. Cahill makes six figures from ESPN, six figures from Adidas, and additional money speaking/appearances/etc. Ditto McEnroe by exhanging USTA for Adidas.
They even brought up that there should be a penalty or fine. Really? How about going to the tournament and asking them to "compensate" the injured player? It seems to me, in this scenario, Marcos Daniel would miss the $20 grand more than the Auzzie Open. So pay him and open the slot to the "lucky loser". But for God's sake, don't penalize the guy for trying make his living....
+1. those who had success in the game often forget about how tough it can be to squeeze out a living on the low levels of the tour. that $20,000 is a big chunk of daniel's yearly earnings. anyway, didn't he earn his way into the tournament somehow either by direct entry or qualifying?
the difference here is that the atp isn't like the nba or nfl or mlb where players negotiate contracts to get paid. the players in those leagues don't stop getting checks when they get hurt so not playing isn't too much of an immediate financial concern, so they'll ride the exercise bike on the sideline or whatever because the money still keeps rolling in. inujured atp players do not get paid unless they play (except from sponsors or whatever if they're lucky enough to have them). the pro athlete in the nfl or whatever can afford to think a little more long term. the low level atp pro is trying to get paid now to survive.
i don't buy this "it makes for a bad match/ game for the spectators" at all! as if there's been a pro sports league that have never had a shortened or uncompetitive game or fight. how many fights did mike tyson have that were over in the first round? how many ufc or mma fights or boxing matches last 30 seconds or less? and if cahill and jmac don't like uncompetitive games or matches, then they'd better call the nfl and tell them not to let the panthers play the bengals or the broncos or the bills next year. despite these short fights and lopsided games, the ufc and the nfl still make boatloads of money selling ppvs and football packages to people who want to watch their fights and games. if anyone gets a right to gripe, its the folks who shelled out their hard earned moo-lah to sit courtside and watch the match in the heat, sun, cold, wind whatever, not the talking heads who got paid to sit in a nice, air-conditioned box and talk. as for the paying customer, i'd say it unfortunately goes with the territory. that and you paid for the experience of going to a slam at seeing the world #1 play nearly 2 sets in the opening round. from what i saw, nadal's level of play seemed to be pretty high. so even though you didn't get your 3 to 5 sets worth, you got something.
