Thiem rejects plan to help lower ranked players

[dominikk1985]

We see the same in baseball too. Minor league salaries are very low, sometimes below the minimum wage but players who made the show say I made it through this so they can too.

 

[zagor]

There’s lots to consider on both sides, but it’s always funny how righteous and virtuous people are on Twitter/social media/message boards, but in real life are all the same and will take care of themselves or those close to them above all else BUT expect OTHERS not to.

Yep, easy to be an internet moral crusader when it doesn't affect your own wallet or well-being.

 

[zagor]

Also Domic said he didnt want to make any gifts to lower ranked players since he didnt get any gifts.
Now austrian tennis federation sponsors quite a few players who are below 500 itf juniors . So imagine how much money he got .
Novak got nothing 0 from serbia.
I can put at least 10 players like Novak here.
So Dominic you are wrong again you did get a lot of gifts others didnt get.

That wasn't a gift, it was an investment and the one that paid off immensely for the Austrian tennis federation in Thiem's case.

 

[Bartelby]

You don't have a proposal. There is a workable proposal on the table, so why should anyone care too much about Thiem's opinion?

Are you going to offer an actual solution or just continue to whine as usual, while offering nothing productive?

My proposal (if there is even an income inequality and injustice issue to be remedied here) did not involve any tax on players. All players are free to opt out and not advertise themselves on ATP courts.

 

[Raul_SJ]

There is a workable proposal on the table, so why should anyone care too much about Thiem's opinion?

Why? Because Thiem is currently the best player in the world, despite the #3 ranking. When Thiem talks you had better listen.
What exactly are you disagreeing with him on? Are you worried about ATP pros starving to death?

Tennis world number three Dominic Thiem expressed scepticism Sunday about plans to set up a fund to help lower-ranked players struggling because of the shutdown of the sport.​

None of us top players got anything handed to us,' said Dominic Thiem, explaining why he did not want to help out lower-ranked players​

"Quite honestly I have to say that no tennis player will be fighting to survive, even those who are much lower-ranked," Thiem said, adding: "None of them are going to starve."​

He said that his experience competing on the sport's Futures circuit had shown him that there are "many, many players who don't put the sport above everything else and don't live in a professional manner."​

​

"I wouldn't really see why I should give such players money," he went on.​

​

"I would rather give money to people or organisations that really need it," Thiem said.​

​

The plan proposed by Djokovic would involve raising between $3 million (2.75 million euros) and $4.5 million, with the cash coming from the prize money for the season-ending World Tour Finals or the final bonus pools for top players.​

"None of us top players got anything handed to us, we all had to fight our way up," Thiem said.​

​

"I don't have the guarantee in any job that I will do well and earn lots of money, that's my opinion on the matter," he said.​

 

[Miki 1234]

That wasn't a gift, it was an investment and the one that paid off immensely for the Austrian tennis federation in Thiem's case.

Federatiom invests money to huge number of players with no interest and doesnt expect anything back.
90 percent of their players fail anyway.
So yeah its a huge gift.
If someone makes it or not makes no difference he had huge gift most players didt have.

.

. And even then with such a bonuses he failed big time when compared to Novak who had nothing and left home with 12.

So much for meritocracy.
Most priviledged kid in the world who got all free stuff no one got cries out when needs to give 0.001 percent back.

 

[zipplock]

Federatiom invests money to huge number of players with no interest and doesnt expect anything back.
90 percent of their players fail anyway.
So yeah its a huge gift.
If someone makes it or not makes no difference he had huge gift most players didt have.

.

. And even then with such a bonuses he failed big time when compared to Novak who had nothing and left home with 12.

So much for meritocracy.

Wrong. They DO expect something back. They are investing in future returns, no different than investing in stocks. Their investment is different in that they know that most investments will provide no return, but the few that do will will more than make up for the lost investments. Think lottery tickets. Same concept.

 

[Miki 1234]

Wrong. They DO expect something back. They are investing in future returns, no different than investing in stocks. Their investment is different in that they know that most investments will provide no return, but the few that do will will more than make up for the lost investments. Think lottery tickets. Same concept.

Its not even possible by the law to get anything back from Thiem.He got a lot of money didnt return anything.
They have same budget with Thiem or not or if someone makes it or not. State just give them money with no interest at all.
Its just one if those perks living in a rich country . They have huge budged for sport and just give it away.
Other countries budget for tennis is such no one even knows it exists.

 

[zipplock]

Its not even possible by the law to get anything back from Thiem.He got a lot of money didnt return anything.
They have same budget with Thiem or not or if someone makes it or not. State just give them money with no interest at all.
Its just one if those perks living in a rich country . They have huge budged for sport and just give it away.
Other countries budget for tennis is such no one even knows it exists.

WRONG again. Chances are good he will remain in Austria. Austria will tax his income and redistribute. The more he earns, the more money they recover. The tennis federation is part of the government, not some private entity.
Not everyone leaves their home country and moves to Monaco.

 

[Miki 1234]

WRONG again. Chances are good he will remain in Austria. Austria will tax his income and redistribute. The more he earns, the more money they recover. The tennis federation is part of the government, not some private entity.
Not everyone leaves their home country and moves to Monaco.

So when he earns money it all goes to tennis but when tennis needs money whole country chips in . Yeah right lol.
What he gives to tennis is not a drop in the bucket when distributed by tax.

And how many countries have budget to invest 30 years before getting something back or player just leaves then to monaco. And they say oh well maybe next one lol.
Only very few countries.

In czech republic if they make it players need to give part of their income to tennis federation .

In austria they dont .
And that is why he can go and live in monaco if we wants to no strings attached.
Coz austrian tennis had nothing to gain or lose by him leaving.
And many left like zverev and no one cares.
So you would think german federation got less money loool.
You are making stuff up that never happen.

 

[ibbi]

 

[fedfan08]

Why? Because Thiem is currently the best player in the world, despite the #3 ranking. When Thiem talks you had better listen.
What exactly are you disagreeing with him on? Are you worried about ATP pros starving to death?

Tennis world number three Dominic Thiem expressed scepticism Sunday about plans to set up a fund to help lower-ranked players struggling because of the shutdown of the sport.​

None of us top players got anything handed to us,' said Dominic Thiem, explaining why he did not want to help out lower-ranked players​

"Quite honestly I have to say that no tennis player will be fighting to survive, even those who are much lower-ranked," Thiem said, adding: "None of them are going to starve."​

He said that his experience competing on the sport's Futures circuit had shown him that there are "many, many players who don't put the sport above everything else and don't live in a professional manner."​

​

"I wouldn't really see why I should give such players money," he went on.​

​

"I would rather give money to people or organisations that really need it," Thiem said.​

​

The plan proposed by Djokovic would involve raising between $3 million (2.75 million euros) and $4.5 million, with the cash coming from the prize money for the season-ending World Tour Finals or the final bonus pools for top players.​

"None of us top players got anything handed to us, we all had to fight our way up," Thiem said.​

​

"I don't have the guarantee in any job that I will do well and earn lots of money, that's my opinion on the matter," he said.​

This is stupid. This isn’t about doing well or not, it’s not about working hard or not. These players were forced to stop playing and not receive any income. And how does he know the financial situation of these lower ranked players?

 

[zipplock]

So when he earns money it all goes to tennis but when tennis needs money whole country chips in . Yeah right lol.
What he gives to tennis is not a drop in the bucket when distributed by tax.

And how many countries have budget to invest 30 years before getting something back or player just leaves then to monaco. And they say oh well maybe next one lol.
Only very few countries.

In czech republic if they make it players need to give part of their income to tennis federation .

In austria they dont .
And that is why he can go and live in monaco if we wants to no strings attached.
Coz austrian tennis had nothing to gain or lose by him leaving.
And many left like zverev and no one cares.
So you would think german federation got less money loool.
You are making stuff up that never happen.

And where did you study business and economics?

 

[Miki 1234]

And where did you study business and economics?

When you tell me how does Thiem call his studenst in his tennis academy i will answer that. Or if you tell me how Thiem got sponsored by state and Novak didnt is that because Thiem deserves it more or its just because he was lucky to be born there and got a free gift.
We are talking about Thiem now so you better answer that first .

 

[zipplock]

When you tell me how does Thiem call his studenst in his tennis academy i will answer that. Or if you tell me how Thiem got sponsored by state and Novak didnt is that because Thiem deserves it more or its just because he was lucky to be born there and got a free gift.
We are talking about Thiem now so you better answer that first .

A friend of mine is Austrian and also came up in the Austrian national program. Ultimately he wasn't good enough to continue but it was the same program the ones who do make the ATP from Austria go through. As juniors, if there skill is good enough or if a coach in the national program sees enough potential the junior becomes a participant. If they keep improving, gaining ranking, they stay. If not, they are replaced by new junior prospects. There's your answer.

Where did you study business and economics?

 

[Miki 1234]

A friend of mine is Austrian and also came up in the Austrian national program. Ultimately he wasn't good enough to continue but it was the same program the ones who do make the ATP from Austria go through. As juniors, if there skill is good enough or if a coach in the national program sees enough potential the junior becomes a participant. If they keep improving, gaining ranking, they stay. If not, they are replaced by new junior prospects. There's your answer.

Where did you study business and economics?

That wasnt my question.
My question is how come Novak didnt get sponsored and Thiem did.
Did he deserve it more then Novak?
I just need yes or no .

 

[zipplock]

That wasnt my question.
My question is how come Novak didnt get sponsored and Thiem did.
Did he deserve it more then Novak?
I just need yes or no .

Novak is not Austrian, so yes, Thiem deserved the Austrian backing more than Novak. That's a yes.

So where did you study business and economics?

 

[Miki 1234]

yes.

Doesnt matter if hes austrian or not since its a global sport and global help Thiem refused.
So you are admitting much worse junior and much worse player deserves a gift sponsorship over the much better but doesnt want to give any back.
And the better one doesnt refuse.
Thats a fault in my book.

Im not throwing pearls to the pigs .You will say what ever you want wrong or not .
No point talking to you any more. When such people come that just do their drill no matter what im out.

 

[zipplock]

Doesnt matter if hes austrian or not since its a global sport and global help Thiem refused.
So you are admitting much worse junior and much worse player deserves a gift sponsorship over the much better but doesnt want to give any back.
And the better one doesnt refuse.
Thats a fault in my book.

Im not throwing pearls to the pigs .You will say what ever you want wrong or not .
No point talking to you any more. When such people come that just do their drill no matter what im out.

I answered your question, but you didn't answer mine because you didn't like my answer. Awesome. I miss you already Miki 1234......

 

[Bartelby]

Thiem is a reactionary who lacks compassion, so how he plays is irrelevant to the issue at hand.

Why? Because Thiem is currently the best player in the world, despite the #3 ranking. When Thiem talks you had better listen.
What exactly are you disagreeing with him on? Are you worried about ATP pros starving to death?

Tennis world number three Dominic Thiem expressed scepticism Sunday about plans to set up a fund to help lower-ranked players struggling because of the shutdown of the sport.​

None of us top players got anything handed to us,' said Dominic Thiem, explaining why he did not want to help out lower-ranked players​

"Quite honestly I have to say that no tennis player will be fighting to survive, even those who are much lower-ranked," Thiem said, adding: "None of them are going to starve."​

He said that his experience competing on the sport's Futures circuit had shown him that there are "many, many players who don't put the sport above everything else and don't live in a professional manner."​

​

"I wouldn't really see why I should give such players money," he went on.​

​

"I would rather give money to people or organisations that really need it," Thiem said.​

​

The plan proposed by Djokovic would involve raising between $3 million (2.75 million euros) and $4.5 million, with the cash coming from the prize money for the season-ending World Tour Finals or the final bonus pools for top players.​

"None of us top players got anything handed to us, we all had to fight our way up," Thiem said.​

​

"I don't have the guarantee in any job that I will do well and earn lots of money, that's my opinion on the matter," he said.​

 

[Mainad]

Thiem is a reactionary who lacks compassion, so how he plays is irrelevant to the issue at hand.

He Cares About The Environment
"Thiem is conscious of the need to protect our environment. After stumbling across the work of 4Ocean, a business which has removed 8,691,089 pounds of plastic from the ocean since 2017, Thiem purchased one of their bracelets and began wearing it at tennis events.

4Ocean spotted Thiem wearing the bracelet at the Mutua Madrid Open and quickly got in contact. Thiem regularly shares the hashtag #4Ocean on social media and would like to join the organisation to personally remove plastic from the ocean one day.

“I really hope that I can attend one clean up and help,” said Thiem. “That would be a dream for me.”

Five Things To Know About Dominic Thiem | ATP Tour | Tennis

Learn more about Dominic Thiem's rise up the FedEx ATP Rankings, his off-court passions and more.

www.atptour.com

 

[a10best]

This is stupid. This isn’t about doing well or not, it’s not about working hard or not. These players were forced to stop playing and not receive any income. And how does he know the financial situation of these lower ranked players?

I don't get it. Pretend I'm your partner and hit a 120mph in my back.
If these players did work hard as Thiem says many don't they would be in a financially better position when emergencies occur.
People worldwide have emergencies happen, family breadwinner deaths, auto accidents, home invasions murders.
I actually think the slam tournaments should offer more to the lower ranked players than the top 4.

Thiem is not really a consistent top 4 player like the original big four was. I just saw him lose on clay in Brazil to a nobody a few months back. The guy is not a staple or a lock for slam semis, so he should be concerned about his expenses.
Look at the WTA and how a slam finalist or winner (Andreescu) just disappears due to an unexpected injury. Some are fragile minded and disappear like Bouchard. At least she has a fallback plan with modeling and social media.
How about the grand slams contribute more and ATP players who are ranked in top 3 consecutively for 26 weeks+.

 

[Shaolin]

Honestly the tour should be helping out the journeymen. It's not the players responsibility to do that. It's cool if they do but the ATP/ITF need to be helping the players.

 

[AceSalvo]

I actually think the slam tournaments should offer more to the lower ranked players than the top 4.

Honestly the tour should be helping out the journeymen. It's not the players responsibility to do that. It's cool if they do but the ATP/ITF need to be helping the players.

Ah you beat me to it.

All the ITF/ATP events should group together and offer something more meaningful. Getting a handful of top players won't go far enough.

 

[Zetty]

What is with all the discussion, it's his money, do whatever.

 

[Wurm]

Honestly the tour should be helping out the journeymen. It's not the players responsibility to do that. It's cool if they do but the ATP/ITF need to be helping the players.

You're absolutely right. But the reality is tennis is a pyramid scheme and as such players beyond the top 150 don't earn an actual living from tennis and need additional funding and the people who've been skimming off the top are the top players such as Thiem.

Thiem's right that there's more important places for donations to go but he messes up his argument with statements that implicate an implicit "no-one helped me out, I worked hard for what I've got" attitude. He's an exorbitantly rich young man whose earnings are a direct product of a tour that isn't viable without outside help (how does one get to the main tour without going through the lower levels?) who's behaving like he never got any outside help himself. He's revealing himself to be an entitled **** and it's not a good look.

 

[Miki 1234]

You're absolutely right. But the reality is tennis is a pyramid scheme and as such players beyond the top 150 don't earn an actual living from tennis and need additional funding and the people who've been skimming off the top are the top players such as Thiem.

Thiem's right that there's more important places for donations to go but he messes up his argument with statements that implicate an implicit "no-one helped me out, I worked hard for what I've got" attitude. He's an exorbitantly rich young man whose earnings are a direct product of a tour that isn't viable without outside help (how does one get to the main tour without going through the lower levels?) who's behaving like he never got any outside help himself. He's revealing himself to be an entitled **** and it's not a good look.

You nailed it right there nothing more to ad perfection.

 

[TheGhostOfAgassi]

Guy already gives like half his income to Austria. Now people want to him to give more? Shameful.

I believe it’s the country a player pays taxes to that should give the players support when they can’t work. It’s part of the point of paying taxes in the first place.

 

[Bartelby]

And that is what will be happening. The current plan is just a small one-off gesture to handle an unprecedented situation. That's all.

I believe it’s the country a player pays taxes to that should give the players support when they can’t work. It’s part of the point of paying taxes in the first place.

 

[Bartelby]

He cares to some degree about the natural world, but the social world is a jungle that he cut a path through without help, apparently.

He Cares About The Environment
"Thiem is conscious of the need to protect our environment. After stumbling across the work of 4Ocean, a business which has removed 8,691,089 pounds of plastic from the ocean since 2017, Thiem purchased one of their bracelets and began wearing it at tennis events.

4Ocean spotted Thiem wearing the bracelet at the Mutua Madrid Open and quickly got in contact. Thiem regularly shares the hashtag #4Ocean on social media and would like to join the organisation to personally remove plastic from the ocean one day.

“I really hope that I can attend one clean up and help,” said Thiem. “That would be a dream for me.”

Five Things To Know About Dominic Thiem | ATP Tour | Tennis

Learn more about Dominic Thiem's rise up the FedEx ATP Rankings, his off-court passions and more.

www.atptour.com

 

[TheGhostOfAgassi]

And that is what will be happening. The current plan is just a small one-off gesture to handle an unprecedented situation. That's all.

I wouldn’t want to give money to many of these lower ranked players also

 

[tennis24x7]

I think the problem with tennis is the ticket prices, they need to bring it down for more people to go watch it. Even a $200 ticket at the slams is pointless as you are so far away from the players. $200 is a good amount of money and gets you nothing. And most of the seats near to the courts are empty. They should give those tickets to people higher up atleast when the match is half over.

 

[Miki 1234]

Funny thing is if this happened 15 years ago Thiem would be a hero.
Now already not so much.
In 15 years time people will say were was our mind to think that its ok that only 150 players can make money or break even and everyone else needs to pay to compete and the sport will prosper.

 

[Deleted member 770618]

Here's the thing. It's bad publicity for Thiem to say what's on his mind. I'm sure a lot of players share his sentiment and don't want to help out their low-ranked competitors, but they aren't stupid enough to say it out loud. He should know better. This is the price he has to pay to be a tennis celebrity. Suck it up and pay the money, because in the long run it's the best thing for his career. This is no different than actors instagramming from their hot tubs saying the pandemic is the great equalizer. It isn't and some of them are also getting backlash.

 

[Deleted member 769694]

He's revealing himself to be an entitled **** and it's not a good look.

You cant be entitled when your doing the work.

Btw lesser players often have private sponsorship. The late dr guttman in orlando used to sponsor all sorts of guys from other countrys that were poor. He would house, feed and pay their expensis. There are alot of guys like that out there.

Players can also teach or become hitting partners. Bobby blair (hiding in the baseline) wasnt good enough to make it, so he was martina nav travel partner, another buddy of mine rodrigo the same, was with aranxcha sanches travelling. A buddy of mine who works at my club also a super great player but not good enough to get those pts, he was roddicks partner for 3 yrs.

Robert Kendrick (5 sets vs nadal wimbledon) was head pro at a very nice club here, nice guy. He was making a ton at the finest club in orlando

James blake came to my club one day and didnt have anyone to play with, Simeon made $150 to play with him for an hour and half (have to pay for liability).

Ton of ways for tennis players to make money outside of tournaments. They are great players, ppl wanna take lessons, Roscoe Tanner came here for some opens and ended up making more clinic money than prize money

 

[Subway Tennis]

He didn't know it, but Dominic Thiem had just become the center of attention in the tennis world. His words and opinions about the Common Fund to help players between the 250 and 700 of the ATP ranking set off a devastating storm of comments. Many distorted his words, others nuanced them and some were devoted merely to passing an opinion on the Austrian's statements.

The general reaction was undoubtedly negative. The Austrian appealed at all times to an alleged lack of professionalism of many tennis players who live on the Futures circuit, bound to positions in the ranking that are completely uncomfortable. "None of the low ranking players are fighting for their lives right now. I have seen a lot of cases of ITF Tour players who are not 100% committed to this sport, many of them behaving in an unprofessional manner. I do not understand why we should now give him our money. "

The concept behind those statements is relatively clear: not all players who will receive money from the Player Relief Fund deserve it if we rely on effort and the desire to move up. However, the controversy generated behind those words has forced the Austrian to speak publicly. Not to retract his words, but to clarify them and explain his argument in greater depth. "There are some details, little things, that bother me about all this," Dominic said in a few words picked up by Spox. One of the inconsistencies that the Austrian finds is the cut that this fund makes in the 700th player in the world. "There are 2,000 players in the ranking, there are also the players behind 700." But that's not what bothers Thiem the most.

"I am not going to change my opinion or what I said the other day. There are some players that I do not want to support. Consequently, I would prefer that the players choose, for ourselves, to whom all this money should go, who will give it to them He truly deserves and would benefit from it. " Of course, the Austrian also took the opportunity to qualify his words before the immense snowball generated. "My statements seemed a bit harsh, I did not want to say it in such a hurtful way. But there is something that is true, and it is that not only in these times, there are people, organizations or animals that need our help much more than probably any athlete". Thus, the Austrian stressed what he said last week: that there are institutions that should have a higher priority when receiving financial aid.

Dominic Thiem legt in Causa um Hilfsfonds nach: Ich gehe von meiner Meinung nicht runter

Österreichs Tennis-Ass Dominic Thiem ist kein Freund des von Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal und Roger Federer geplanten allgemeinen Hilfsfonds für Spieler auf den Plätzen 250 bis 700 der Weltrangliste, die aufgrund der Turnierpause durch die Coronavirus-Pandemie weniger gut verdienen. Es gibt...

www.spox.com

All he was saying is that if he is going to donate money for COVID-19 relief, he would rather do it to people who need it more than pro athletes.

Lower ranked players may earn about as much as people working minimum wage at McDonalds - but unlike fast food workers, they aren’t there because they need the money. They are choosing to chase a dream - any and all of them could walk into a very nicely paid club pro gig any time they like.

The real reason why this fund is being pushed isn’t because lower ranked tennis players are at risk of starving. It’s because there is a risk that they will all abandon the satellite tour and go get real jobs. That would be devastating for the sport’s ongoing viability and development.

That’s a business problem for the ATP and WTA, so it’s their responsibility to solve it. If the top players bail them out with charity, it will mean they can avoid addressing the fact that the economic model for pro tennis is completely ****ed up.

Great posts.

 

[Miki 1234]

You cant be entitled when your doing the work.

Btw lesser players often have private sponsorship. The late dr guttman in orlando used to sponsor all sorts of guys from other countrys that were poor. He would house, feed and pay their expensis. There are alot of guys like that out there.

Players can also teach or become hitting partners. Bobby blair (hiding in the baseline) wasnt good enough to make it, so he was martina nav travel partner, another buddy of mine rodrigo the same, was with aranxcha sanches travelling. A buddy of mine who works at my club also a super great player but not good enough to get those pts, he was roddicks partner for 3 yrs.

Robert Kendrick (5 sets vs nadal wimbledon) was head pro at a very nice club here, nice guy. He was making a ton at the finest club in orlando

James blake came to my club one day and didnt have anyone to play with, Simeon made $150 to play with him for an hour and half (have to pay for liability).

Ton of ways for tennis players to make money outside of tournaments. They are great players, ppl wanna take lessons, Roscoe Tanner came here for some opens and ended up making more clinic money than prize money

Entitled

1. believing oneself to be inherently deserving of privileges or special treatment.

Like guy from austria saying to guy from serbia : no one from us got any gifts.

Austria/Gross domestic product (2006)
336 billion USD (2006)

Serbia/Gross domestic product (2000)
6.54 billion USD (2000)

Both Thiem and Novak were 13 at that moment i took these gdp.
Because its the age when you need to invest money in tennis a lots of it.
Keep in mind both countries have around 10 million people.

 

[Deleted member 769694]

Entitled

1. believing oneself to be inherently deserving of privileges or special treatment.

Like guy from austria
Austria/Gross domestic product (2006)
336 billion USD (2006)

saying to guy from serbia

Serbia/Gross domestic product (2000)
6.54 billion USD (2000)

no one from us got any gifts.

Both Thiem and Novak were 13 at that moment i took these gdp.
Its age when you need to invest money in tennis a lots of it.
Keep in mind both countries have around 10 million people.

Thats just it, he earned it. He doesnt seek anything from anyone else.

I'll pm you paypal account, you can throw $100 in. Or are you entitled? See, its just not logical to ask for money then call the person who said "no" entitled

 

[Miki 1234]

Thats just it, he earned it. He doesnt seek anything from anyone else.

I'll pm you paypal account, you can throw $100 in. Or are you entitled? See, its just not logical to ask for money then call the person who said "no" entitled

He already took huge help from federation .
So he did seek something and he got it.
As a direct result of that he earned his money.
Novak asked everyone in serbia got 0.
So why does he say non of them got any gifts.
He doesnt need to pay but his wrong about what he said . And that is called entitled.


Lower lvl players didnt even ask for anything but all higher players offered help except Thiem.
So dont ask for money hehe.
Maybe i offer u one day as thiem did.

 

[Bartelby]

So why didn't you say that in the first place?

I wouldn’t want to give money to many of these lower ranked players also

 

[Subway Tennis]

Pro tennis is a sport for individuals, so you never have to worry about being cut from the team.

At the top of the game, tennis is the ultimate meritocracy, but once you go outside the top 500, the opposite is true.

With enough outside funding and some good fortune, people with no ability to compete at the top 100 level of the game can still "make a go of it" and mess around on the fringe of the sport for decades.

Pro tennis still has multiple generations of these "hobbyist pros". They draw on tournament resources but are not on an upward trajectory, and don't bring money into the game.

A few years ago, The ATP made some tour changes that were designed to stop future generations of hobbyist pros breaking into the men's side of the sport. It's pretty clear they don't want them, nor do tournament organisers.

The ATP has been ruthless here. Amidst the massive hit it has taken as an organisation during the shutdown, there is no doubt an interest in whether this current situation forces a whole class of "hobbyist pros" off the tour to look for income streams in other areas of tennis once the shutdown is over.

It's definitely a hostile environment for the class of tennis players that Thiem is talking about, but he points to a relevant economic reality with his comments. Most of these players have phenomenal support networks, and there are far more deserving cases for CoViD-19 related relief.

 

[Bartelby]

Thiem decided to make a private decision not to contribute public and made a political statement justifying his position.

It's common for organisations to ask members for charitable donations for either worthy causes or scholarship funds.

A fund to distribute tiny amounts of money to symbolise the unity of the tennis family aka community in a crisis is hardly novel.

It's a good idea and I haven't heard an argument from Thiem to convince me otherwise.

 

[Colin]

Please leave my baby Domi alone. We know that Thiem— having generously gifted big matches in the past despite finding himself in a winning position — is a humanitarian at heart. And so perhaps he wishes to donate his funds to others that deserve his money more than the Round 1 losers of the Shymkent Challenger.

I have it on good authority that Thiem has given charitably to many other causes near and dear to his heart: A wildlife rescue group that rehabilitates rapist dolphins through the joys of marine-mammal tennis. A maker of safe butt cheek implants (because not everyone is as naturally gifted in that department as Domi himself and shouldn’t resort to cement injections in their posteriors). The OnlyFans and PornHub premium accounts of young male erotic entertainers (Thiem, wisely, knows that many of the sub-500 players are bound to go down this route eventually and would rather fund them directly where their true talents lie — preferably supine.)

 

[Miki 1234]

Pro tennis is a sport for individuals, so you never have to worry about being cut from the team.

At the top of the game, tennis is the ultimate meritocracy, but once you go outside the top 500, the opposite is true.

With enough outside funding and some good fortune, people with no ability to compete at the top 100 level of the game can still "make a go of it" and mess around on the fringe of the sport for decades.

Pro tennis still has multiple generations of these "hobbyist pros". They draw on tournament resources but are not on an upward trajectory, and don't bring money into the game.

A few years ago, The ATP made some tour changes that were designed to stop future generations of hobbyist pros breaking into the men's side of the sport. It's pretty clear they don't want them, nor do tournament organisers.

The ATP has been ruthless here. Amidst the massive hit it has taken as an organisation during the shutdown, there is no doubt an interest in whether this current situation forces a whole class of "hobbyist pros" off the tour to look for income streams in other areas of tennis once the shutdown is over.

It's definitely a hostile environment for the class of tennis players that Thiem is talking about, but he points to a relevant economic reality with his comments. Most of these players have phenomenal support networks, and there are far more deserving cases for CoViD-19 related relief.

There are only 150 players that make money or break even in tennis.
Top 100 players made a whatsup group to help 150 plus players until 700 .
They know better then you how many make money .
If there was 500 as you say that live good there would not be any help needed.

Other then that you are wrong in one more thing. Why did itf alow 20 plus futures per week ? Because organisarors pay them tax for every week . And why do organisators pay ? Because they make money on players not lose. That is why antalia has 50 weeks in a row plus many similar place.

If this was not the case itf would just cut the number of itf futures by 50% at lest and make qualis larger so everyone can compete.

In 1 year time most would quit since they can get any points and you are left with healthy player base.

But this is not the case.
Itf wants many players and many weeks but they just dont want to make money of them and not give back.
Its a pyramid scam.

 

[MichaelNadal]

 

[John DeTennis]

At this point this discussion has gone on way too long imo. Who the heck even really cares about some tennis players 30k lol. Let's all just try not to die from this virus.

 

[John DeTennis]

Not perishing from virus > Oh no! Thiem does not give away his money voluntarily as everyone else did!

 

[Subway Tennis]

There are only 150 players that make money or break even in tennis.
Top 100 players made a whatsup group to help 150 plus players until 700 .
They know better then you how many make money .
If there was 500 as you say that live good there would not be any help needed.

Other then that you are wrong in one more thing. Why did itf alow 20 plus futures per week ? Because organisarors pay them tax for every week . And why do organisators pay ? Because they make money on players not lose. That is why antalia has 50 weeks in a row plus many similar place.

If this was not the case itf would just cut the number of itf futures by 50% at lest and make qualis larger so everyone can compete.

In 1 year time most would quit since they can get any points and you are left with healthy player base.

But this is not the case.
Itf wants many players and many weeks but they just dont want to make money of them and not give back.
Its a pyramid scam.

Just to make it clear, I was not saying that players outside the top of the game make any/much profit from match earnings. Certainly wasn't the message in my post, and I'm not sure how you got that impression.

I was talking about the problems a sport like tennis has, where the field is made up of individuals who make their own decisions about their career and can keep playing as long as they want to regardless of their value to the sport. There is no team of coaches or front office to cut them. They fire the coaches.

When you have that, you are going to encounter certain members of the playing field who are not spectacularly good or professional, but can get the odd ATP/WTA point here or there, and can fund their own existence on tour from an outside financial source.

This would be one example of a player sitting in the rankings range who is eligible for funding that Thiem might feel reluctant to support.

 

[Raul_SJ]

A fund to distribute tiny amounts of money to symbolise the unity of the tennis family aka community in a crisis is hardly novel.

It's a good idea and I haven't heard an argument from Thiem to convince me otherwise.

There are many lower ranked players that are not profitable but still well-off. Players from wealthy families travelling the world pursuing their dream of winning ATP tournaments
Not all, but certainly some.
Why should Thiem be donating his funds to millionaires when there are so many average people struggling just to eat?
Let us know when your workable plan addresses this.

 

[Bartelby]

The sums are tiny and designed to compensate for lost tournament earnings.

They are therefore related to lost performance opportunities. It is not social welfare, so your argument is wrong.

There are many lower ranked players that are not profitable but still well-off. Players from wealthy families travelling the world pursuing their dream of winning ATP tournaments
Not all, but certainly some.
Why should Thiem be donating his funds to millionaires when there are so many average people struggling just to eat?
Let us know when your workable plan addresses this.