With a new social security system (“baseline”), the ATP wants to enable more players to actually make a living from tennis.
von tennisnet.com
last edited: 08/24/2023, 08:06
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ATP boss Andrea Gaudenzi is very happy with the introduction of “Baseline”.
Juan Manuel Cerundolo is currently ranked 100th in the ATP world rankings. Official prize money for the Argentine in the 2023 season: 228,749 US dollars. Very decent for a “normal” employee, less for a tennis pro, because he has to pay for his work trips, usually a coach and, if you really want to attack, a physiotherapist. Which is why the number of professionals who can actually make a good living from their job is surprisingly small for a global sport like tennis (however, it should not be concealed that many players earn a solid pocket money in the various leagues).
The ATP now wants to provide a little more security. “Baseline” is the name of the program presented earlier this week, which is based on three pillars.
First of all, there would be a kind of basic salary. This amounts to 300,000 US dollars per year for the top 100 players, 150,000 US dollars for places 101 to 175 and 75,000 US dollars for places 176 to 250. Translated, this means: If you do not reach the respective threshold with your prize money, the ATP fills the gap. The second pillar is insurance for injured players who have fewer than nine events per year on the ATP tour or the ATP Challenger can do the tour. In these cases, ATP helps out in the above-mentioned tranches with 200,000, 100,000 and 50,000 US dollars. Finally, the next generation is also supported. Young players can take out a loan of up to 200,000 US dollars until they reach the top 125 in the ATP world rankings for the first time. This sum is paid out in advance of a season – and then offset against the prize money won.
In any case, Andrea Gaudenzi, the head of the ATP, is very satisfied with “Baseline”. “This initiative is a complete reversal in the way tennis players manage their finances. It represents our commitment to the players and their careers. We create the general conditions in which they can develop and take the sport to a higher level.” And that should only be the start, says Gaudenzi. The program will be expanded in the coming years.
2023-08-24 15:55:00
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