In times of uncertainty, nothing better than listening to the people called to make important decisions. Steve Simon is one of them. The famous CEO of the WTA is one of the most authoritative voices to comment on the immediate future of tennis, a sport that has managed to survive in this great coronavirus crisis, but has many months ahead of licking its wounds and finding a way to return to its status habitual. It will not be easy at all and you will have to have determination when making complex decisions, as revealed in an interview with TennisMajors. In addition, he also had words of optimism regarding the Open de Australia 2021, for Ubitennis.
“It will take a long time, we have gone through tough times and the tournaments will have to continue surviving without fans in the stands or with limited capacity. This will reduce the prize money. The tournaments that have been played in 2020 have been. made to mitigate losses, not to make money, “says Simon who shows his appreciation for the sacrifice of tournaments and tennis players. “I give all the credit to the tournaments that they have bet to follow and to the tennis players, very understanding with the mandatory money reductions. We need to maintain the structure of the tournaments and ensure the financial viability of the model. Most likely we will not see full stadiums until the end of 2021, although this will most likely not happen until 2022, “he said.
- Prize money in 2021
“It is clear that we are not going to be able to distribute the same money and we will have to work with the players to find a fair distribution model. Our idea is to continue increasing the prizes for the first rounds and previous phases, which are the ones that will be in a position more With this we reward the tennis players who compete the most tournaments. We are having a very positive process of conversations with all those involved and we hope that it will come to fruition, “he said.
- Prospects for the Australian Open 2021
“It is very important that the tournament goes ahead, the 14-day quarantine ensures its viability and we are going to work to contemplate the options of playing a tournament in the first weeks of January. It gives me the feeling that we are in a good position to make a correct transition and end up having a very positive season, “said a Steve Simon who shows a necessary optimism in these times.
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