The WTA Finals this year were held in a gloomy and tense atmosphere. This has to do not only with the condition of the stadiums and tennis courts, but also with the mood of the top-players. They have been dissatisfied with some issues for a long time.
Therefore, the courts with poor coating, uneven and even pitted surface were the last straw which signaled that women’s tennis is in a dire need of transformations. The main point is that players unanimously agree on the concept of the changes that have to be made.
Women Tennis Players Made Their Demands at Their Meeting During The Season
As reported by The Athletic, an informal meeting of the best women tennis players was held during the tournament in Beijing. The results of this meeting can well be the foundation for the future revolution in the women’s tennis. The participants put forward their demands to the WTA management in a 3-page letter that was signed by more than 20 tennis players.
Iga Świątek who is leading the rating at present was absent from the meeting. However, the Polish representative sent her own message to the organization’s management. She explicitly stated that she supports her colleagues’ ideas and stands for the change, too.
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What Do Women Tennis Players Want and Request
There is no public access to the letter, but insiders found out the main demands:
- Guaranteed payment. The players demand to get their income not only from their awards, but also receive a regular salary. Its amount must depend on the player’s place in the rating. The top 100 players have to receive 500 000 dollars. The next group that takes 101 – 175 place in the rating must get 200 000 dollars, and the last group that is represented by the players who are in the 176 – 250 place on the rating list will earn 100,000 dollars. The same scheme has already been implemented for men tennis players.
- Bigger prizes. Women have wanted to receive the same prizes as the men do for quite long time. WTA also has such a position. According to the current programme, the prize amount in the major tennis tournaments has to be equal for both men and women. However, women tennis players do not want to wait so long and suggest implementing this change earlier in all the tournaments without any exceptions.
- Special compensations in case of injuries;
- Maternity leave with compulsory payments. Putting together a special programme for the women tennis players who gave birth;
- Simplification of the tournament calendar, in order to prevent physical and moral overload.
WTA Organized a Meeting with the Players, but the Result is Not Positive
Instead of providing a written response, the WTA representatives organized a meeting with the tennis players. However, this was an unwise decision. Instead of giving specific answers to the specific demands, vague and unclear speeches were delivered. Some expressed ideas were quite negative. According to the insider information, two tennis players indignantly left the meeting before it was over.
One of the WTA wrong decisions was trying to create a positive image of the organization by means of the players. For instance, they asked players to praise the organization and express gratitude for all the work and achievements at the press-conferences, when communicating with the media during the WTA Finals. If you watched the press-conferences, you probably know what the players’ reaction to this was.
What Is Coming Next?
In fact, women’s tennis is currently in a controversial condition. On the one hand, there are plenty of high-level players who are capable of selling matches and gathering huge number of spectators. The players’ preparation and competitiveness have increased tremendously. On the other hand, the management has huge troubles with communication with the players and the search for stable long-lasting sponsorship contracts.
The solution to this problem has been discussed for ages. Namely, it is suggested that ATP and WTA are united into one organization. It seems that this moment is coming near.
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