Tennis was put on an indefinite hiatus last week as the grip of Coronavirus on sporting occasions reached a peak. Within days of the indefinite suspension being announced, the All-England Club released a statement confirming tennis fans’ worst fears – Wimbledon was cancelled and would not be coming back this year. Players won’t play on the famous SW19 grass until June 2021.
Within minutes of this announcement, a ripple of worry went around the tennis world – not for players at the top of the tree such as Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic, but for the grass roots players who struggle to put food on the table thanks to their tennis skills.
Step forward the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) then, and in some style, with a pretty comprehensive £20 million compensation package.
Working alongside the tennis associations of both Scotland and Wales, the LTA have put together a plan to help players survive during the COVID-19 crisis. The idea is to help players of all levels in Britain make it through this extended shutdown to the sport. Just as the Premier League have donated money to the lower leagues who prop them up, tennis has acted t protect those who are most in need.
Many lower-level tennis fans rely on funding in a huge way to keep them afloat before they make their name. Put simply, tennis is a very expensive sport for those starting out for the first time. From the racquet to kit, travel and all the gear needed to keep yourself at the right level of fitness, Britain isn’t blessed with amazing weather or available courts. With indoor and outdoor courts out of the question while the United Kingdom is on lockdown, what can players do but hope they are looked after? They cannot play in front of the crowds needed to pay for themselves.
The focus, therefore, is on looking after the grass roots and preserving the basis of the game so that it might grow again when tennis returns. Here’s what Scott Lloyd, the Chief Executive of the Lawn Tennis Association, had to say:
“The first priority at this time is the health and wellbeing of everybody, and our thoughts are with anyone who has been affected by the coronavirus. Our sport is far from exempt from its impact, and this pandemic has the potential to put the continued future growth of tennis at significant risk. We know that many involved in tennis in Britain are concerned about their futures and are facing significant challenges, and so our primary objective in announcing these unprecedented measures is to ensure clubs and venues remain viable and coaches and officials are not lost to the sport.
“We hope that the combination of this new package and the continuation of our existing support will help ensure they are all able to operate post-COVID-19. We want them all to play their part in delivering our collective vision of opening up tennis to many more people through activity like our LTA Youth programme to engage the next generation in tennis and our LTA Rally digital platform that will help people easily find and book tennis courts and activities.”
The funding that will reach those in need includes financial grants for tennis players, coaches and for the people who rely on prize money to stay afloat. It’s wide-ranging and includes refunds for monies already paid out, such as the 2019/20 registration fee every player has to pay to compete. That refund alone will total more than a million pounds in payback.
Anyone with LTA facility loans will have a ‘repayment holiday’ on their debt applied, to a limit of six months at present, but that length of time may change.
There are grants being offered to players, coaches and match officials. The Hardship Fund of £1 million will support vulnerable coaches who have no-one to pass their knowledge onto during these strange times, while online webinars and workshops will be taking place to help match officials and those studying to come into the game keep up with their studies.
The support grants handed out to players include those ranked from 101-750 in the world in both the ATP and WTA rankings who don’t already have player funding.
To keep players fit, there will be some home fitness training kits with virtual training sessions heading out to those who play at the required level, as well as some increased mental health and wellbeing support to keep players’ minds as fit and healthy as their bodies.
Details of the support packages that will be provided we be appearing on the LTA website in the coming days as the sport continues to support those most in need during what is an unprecedented time.
While on hiatus, Roger Federer has been entertaining his fans with some tongue-in-cheek fitness suggestions…
Another glimpse into the stay at home practice routine 🧤🧣🎾👊
I hope everyone is safe and healthy. Stay positive. Keep active. Support one another. We will get through this together🙏 #stayhome pic.twitter.com/ZVqMZ2ZpXc— Roger Federer (@rogerfederer) April 2, 2020
…while great rivals and the two men most likely to overtake Federer’s Grand Slam record when play returns, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, have been working together to help victims of the Coronavirus. Rafa thanked Nole for all his help in this touching message on Twitter over the weekend:
A huge thanks to @djokernole for the contribution to the #nuestramejorvictoria campaign helping those in need in the fight against Corona Virus.
Class act 🙌🏻👏🏻 Hvala Nole! pic.twitter.com/ypnRPHIZAd— Rafa Nadal (@RafaelNadal) April 3, 2020
Whenever tennis is back, it’s sure to be in a healthy state in terms of the British grassroots game.
