When Kristie Ahn joined the WTA Player Council at the end of 2018, she had no idea that a little over a year later she would be working with the tour to try and help her fellow tennis players navigate a global pandemic and survive a lengthy hiatus.
The 27-year-old American, a TikTok genius ranked No 96 in the world, is part of the eight-person council that advocates player interest to the WTA, which is a governing partnership between players and tournaments. The ATP Tour follows a similar structure but its Player Council consists of 12 members – including Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and council president Novak Djokovic.
Unlike many other athletes, tennis players are independent contractors that do not get a salary. Their income is based on prize money linked to their on-court performances, as well as endorsement deals (those who are lucky enough to have some).
During this current tour suspension due to the coronavirus, tennis players are effectively out of a job for at least four months – so far tournaments have been cancelled until July 13 – and those belonging to a lower ranking group have serious financial concerns with no revenue streams on the horizon.
A group effort
Ahn, and her fellow council members, have been busy going through weekly meetings, and daily WhatsApp group chats, searching for ways to raise funds to relieve some of the pressure weighing down on the players.
"We're trying to find a way to get as much money as quickly as possible to players who are in pretty dire situations," Ahn told The National in a phone interview.
“We know we’re headed in the right direction but we’re not only racing against the numbers, but also just time. Because the longer this decision takes, the more players are concerned about making it week to week, so definitely we’ve got two big factors.”
While Ahn wouldn’t reveal details, she believes there are “a couple of options” in the works that could result in some sort of relief fund for the players.
“Hopefully more than one option can go through,” she said.
As it is with anything in life, a time of crisis can bring to light underlying issues that had previously been concealed, or had not seemed pressing enough to address in the past.
Noah Rubin, a former Wimbledon junior champion who peaked at No 125 in the world in 2018, has been very vocal over the past 12 months about how harsh and unsustainable tennis can be for lower-ranked players and those attempting to break through.
“We go paycheck to paycheck, especially guys outside the top 50 in the world,” Rubin, 24, told Racquet magazine recently.
“There’s guys that are 200 in the world that, six months from now, are going to worry about how rent is going to be paid.
“I don’t think there’s any money reserved for players right now. I believe that budgeting is off in certain cases, I believe that they should be helping the players regardless of how this could impact some of the budgeting for the future.
“If you can’t protect the players right now, there’s no point for 2021.”
Financial struggles
It is unclear where the money for any sort of relief fund will come from. Tournaments are struggling to stay afloat – Ahn says Indian Wells lost $40 million (Dh147m) when it got cancelled last minute, which is a sum only a tournament of that size can survive – and the tours are not equipped for such a bailout.
In a statement sent out to The National, WTA CEO Steve Simon said: "We wish there was a way everyone, especially those in need the most, could be compensated at the level they were expecting, but the needs are so great and the WTA unfortunately is not in a financial position to do that."
Simon explains that the tour is working with tournaments to find out a way to maximise earning opportunities for the players when the tennis restarts, and is considering extending the 44-week season to allow more events to take place.
Call for union
Another main issue at the forefront of conversations right now is the big divide between the various governing bodies and stakeholders in tennis.
A call with US president Donald Trump on Saturday reportedly included sports commissioners and top executives from the NFL, NBA, Major League Baseball, NHL, Major League Soccer, WNBA, WWE, the PGA Tour, LPGA, UFC, NASCAR, IndyCar and Breeders' Cup.
A notable absentee was a representative from tennis, even though the women’s tour is headquartered in Florida and so is ATP Americas. It’s hard to have a voice at the table when your structure is this messy.
“It’s fine, tennis isn’t trying to restart its schedule in the States or anything. Maybe the ATP and ITF can stop playing solitaire long enough to provide tennis with a figurehead,” tweeted American tennis player Tennys Sandgren when news of the conference call came out.
Now more than ever, tennis needs to unite, and this hiatus could pave the way for some serious restructuring, if the powers that be choose to prioritise it. The sport has gone from petty Davis Cup-v-ATP Cup infighting to facing a pandemic. If that doesn’t force a jolt of perspective, I don’t know what will.
Players seem to be willing to mobilise and finally form some sort of union that would represent their interests, although the varying union laws for each country remain a roadblock.
'Existential crisis'
Ahn says the WTA players are more focused on what can be done right now, rather than long-term plans, and mentions mental health as an important area to address.
“It’s a strange period of time for us right now because I think a lot of us have lost our sense of purpose,” she said.
“The last thing we want is having some sort of massive mental health crisis on the tour that we did nothing to address it.
"With Wimbledon's cancellation announcement [last Wednesday], it hit a little extra hard. We really made a push for the WTA to use their resources, their amazing staff, to reach out to players and be there for them.
“I swear every day in the shower I have like an existential crisis of like, ‘What am I doing? Why am I doing this? Is this something I want to keep doing?’
“Obviously it’s not just the downside, this is the worst side of sport, tennis actually, that you have no job security; there’s no work-from-home for us.
“We don’t know anything, it’s pretty much like we’ve been laid off for now until the WTA can turn up with a financial plan. Definitely it takes a toll mentally.”
Coaches also in a tight spot
Tennis coaches are also in a rough spot. Tom Hill, Maria Sakkari’s coach returned home to Birmingham a few days after Indian Wells was cancelled last month and has been keeping in touch with his charge every couple of days on WhatsApp, trying to keep her spirits up while she is in lockdown in Greece.
He says most coaches get paid per week, solely for the weeks they spend with their players, which means most of them are out of work at the moment. He notes that many coaches don’t even have contracts.
“I’d say most coaches are probably not getting any money right now. And I believe there will be a lot of coaches and players that split, and probably that’s going to be a lot to do with money if I’m honest. That won’t happen with Maria and I, but I think it’ll come out in the next few months,” the Briton said.
Everyone acknowledges that these are unprecedented and extreme circumstances. Still, it’s vital that we learn from this period and make necessary changes, not just to survive now, but with hopes to thrive again once we’ve moved passed this.
This pandemic has laid bare all of tennis’ baffling eccentricities. Time will tell if the sport comes out of this stronger and wiser.
The years Ramadan fell in May
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
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- 600-seat auditorium
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
As You Were
Liam Gallagher
(Warner Bros)
What drives subscription retailing?
Once the domain of newspaper home deliveries, subscription model retailing has combined with e-commerce to permeate myriad products and services.
The concept has grown tremendously around the world and is forecast to thrive further, according to UnivDatos Market Insights’ report on recent and predicted trends in the sector.
The global subscription e-commerce market was valued at $13.2 billion (Dh48.5bn) in 2018. It is forecast to touch $478.2bn in 2025, and include the entertainment, fitness, food, cosmetics, baby care and fashion sectors.
The report says subscription-based services currently constitute “a small trend within e-commerce”. The US hosts almost 70 per cent of recurring plan firms, including leaders Dollar Shave Club, Hello Fresh and Netflix. Walmart and Sephora are among longer established retailers entering the space.
UnivDatos cites younger and affluent urbanites as prime subscription targets, with women currently the largest share of end-users.
That’s expected to remain unchanged until 2025, when women will represent a $246.6bn market share, owing to increasing numbers of start-ups targeting women.
Personal care and beauty occupy the largest chunk of the worldwide subscription e-commerce market, with changing lifestyles, work schedules, customisation and convenience among the chief future drivers.
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
MATCH INFO
Real Madrid 2
Vinicius Junior (71') Mariano (90 2')
Barcelona 0
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Timeline
1947
Ferrari’s road-car company is formed and its first badged car, the 125 S, rolls off the assembly line
1962
250 GTO is unveiled
1969
Fiat becomes a Ferrari shareholder, acquiring 50 per cent of the company
1972
The Fiorano circuit, Ferrari’s racetrack for development and testing, opens
1976
First automatic Ferrari, the 400 Automatic, is made
1987
F40 launched
1988
Enzo Ferrari dies; Fiat expands its stake in the company to 90 per cent
2002
The Enzo model is announced
2010
Ferrari World opens in Abu Dhabi
2011
First four-wheel drive Ferrari, the FF, is unveiled
2013
LaFerrari, the first Ferrari hybrid, arrives
2014
Fiat Chrysler announces the split of Ferrari from the parent company
2015
Ferrari launches on Wall Street
2017
812 Superfast unveiled; Ferrari celebrates its 70th anniversary
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
WITHIN%20SAND
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How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
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- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
The Bloomberg Billionaire Index in full
1 Jeff Bezos $140 billion
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Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
THE SPECS
2020 Toyota Corolla Hybrid LE
Engine: 1.8 litre combined with 16-volt electric motors
Transmission: Automatic with manual shifting mode
Power: 121hp
Torque: 142Nm
Price: Dh95,900
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Kat Wightman's tips on how to create zones in large spaces
- Area carpets or rugs are the easiest way to segregate spaces while also unifying them.
- Lighting can help define areas. Try pendant lighting over dining tables, and side and floor lamps in living areas.
- Keep the colour palette the same in a room, but combine different tones and textures in different zone. A common accent colour dotted throughout the space brings it together.
- Don’t be afraid to use furniture to break up the space. For example, if you have a sofa placed in the middle of the room, a console unit behind it will give good punctuation.
- Use a considered collection of prints and artworks that work together to form a cohesive journey.
