HA few weeks ago it was announced that the tournament Akron WTA Finals, the tennis masters competition, was moving from Shenzhen to Guadalajara, Mexico, by the strict protocols that are still present in the Asian continent to stop the Covid 19 pandemic.
Latin America to host an event of such magnitude for the first time. With four qualified tennis players (Ashleigh Barty, from Australia, Aryna Sabalenka from Belarus, and Barbota Krejcikova and Karolina Pliskova, both from the Czech Republic) and four more tickets to be defined in the next two weeks, MARCA Claro spoke exclusively with the president of the WTA, Micky Lawler, about the challenges and expectations for this event.
Q- What has been the biggest challenge the WTA has faced during the pandemic?
A- “The biggest challenge we have faced since March of last year has been the calendar and also the television part, the data part, the medical protocols part … well, actually there have been many. challenges, but we’ve tackled them one by one and I really think we can be proud of the work that has been done in the last eighteen months. “
Q- The WTA is perceived as a leader in pursuit of equity, not only by the world of sport, but also by every woman seeking economic equality, equal rights, etc. What goals do you have, as the head of this organization, to still achieve in this regard?
A- “What we have achieved in terms of equality is what we really deserve, not only in tennis, in all aspects of the life of the working woman. Equality is fundamental for the success of humanity. We have to achieve is that we have equality in all combined tournaments and that the economy of women’s tennis is equal to that of men’s tennis and we are reaching a certain equality, in addition we see that this issue is very important at a universal level, globally. All this work that we have done in the last fifty years is bearing fruit and we see that now that we are working closely with the ATP, we see that companies that want to invest in women’s tennis do not necessarily want to invest in men’s tennis, but we we are trying to show that the fact that men’s and women’s tennis are played on the same stage is a very great virtue and is also aspirational for settings outside of tennis. “
Q- The subject of the athlete’s mental health, which at one time was a taboo, is becoming a more open conversation. How are you helping female players navigate a world where they are judged not only for their talent, but for their whole being? What tools are they giving you to deal with a world dominated by social media?
A- “The issue of social media and mental health is something that can be applied to all women and men, to all young people who use and consume social media. You have to strike a balance and that is difficult, but I think which is the biggest challenge that we all have as human beings at this time where the issue of instagram, twitter, snapchat and others is ubiquitous, so we have a team of professionals, psychologists and sports psychologists. We have had this team for a long time, who is part of our medical team, but nowadays the problems are different and difficult, but the good thing is that the subject is being talked about because it has to be brought up and out and it is necessary to talk about mental issues and mental challenges as described. talks about physical challenges because in reality it is different, but it is the same as equal pay between men and women. We have to give importance and help each other and the fact that we are talking about the subject is already progress and improve the situation. “
Q- How did the Guadalajara organization approach you to take over from organizing the WTA Finals once Shenzhen retired from being the host?
A- “We were working with our partners in the Tournament of Champions until September and when it was seen that the protocols in Asia were not going to change, we had to make a decision and father and son, Gustavo Santoscoy (both are called Gustavo), raised the hand to find us and bring the tournament to Guadalajara and it was fantastic because now we have a team there. We had little time to prepare it, but I think the achievement is going to be phenomenal. It is going to be a fantastic event, in a fantastic city like Guadalajara, in a very beautiful province in Jalisco and it’s all in the family and we’re all working day and night to deliver a sensational women’s tennis show. “
Q-Do you think the event helps the growth of Mexican women’s tennis?
A- “S. I think that every time that girls, girls and women can attend and see great champions up close, the reality, the possibility, materializes and it is very important for the Mexican youth to be able to see this and not only the girls, also the boys because equality counts here too and I believe that Mexican and Latin American youth are going to benefit from the event “.
Q-What are your expectations for this edition of the Akron WTA Finals tournament, the first to be held in Latin America?
A- “I think it will be a great event, a great achievement, a great victory, to be able to get ahead in such difficult situations, with so much uncertainty around us. When we started the Guadalajara project, we all told ourselves that we had to leave Expectations aside and we have to do everything possible and as we have been working, expectations have started and now I hope and believe that we are going to deliver a first-class event. “
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