Coronavirus outbreak: Tennis governing bodies to announce relief fund
What's the story
ATP, WTA, ITF and Grand Slams have announced relief fund to assist the affected players in the wake of coronavirus outburst. In a joint statement, the international governing bodies of tennis revealed discussions to create Player Relief Programme are on. Previously, world number one Novak Djokovic hinted at providing aid to tennis professionals, who have been struggling due to pandemic. Here is more.
Quote
Discussions to create a Player Relief Programme are on
"With so much uncertainty around when it will be safe to restart the professional tennis tours, the international governing bodies of world tennis can confirm they are in discussions to create a Player Relief Programme," the joint statement read.
Amount
No announcement of actual amount yet
Although the relief fund is aimed at providing assistance to players, no amount has been disclosed yet. "It will provide much-needed assistance to the players who are particularly affected during this time of coronavirus crisis," the statement read. "Already agreed is that the ATP and the WTA will administer the Player Relief Programme and all seven stakeholders will make a significant contribution," it added.
Proposal
Djokovic informed about the relief fund
Earlier, Novak Djokovic reiterated that he is planning a relief fund to help tennis professionals, along with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. Djokovic estimated the amount to be between $3 and $4.5 million, which will be distributed among the players. According to his proposal, the scale of contribution may range from $30,000 (for top-five players) to $5,000 (for those between 51 and 100).
Solution
Short-term solutions could help the players
The ATP player council president Djokovic asserted that short-term solutions could benefit the players. This could include transferring bonus money fetched by top players from marquee events like ATP Finals into the relief fund. "If we don't have any events (in 2020), maybe next year's Australian Open prize money can be contributed to the fund," he stated.