A lot of players on the WTA and ATP tours have to handle the precautionary predicament: the tour, among many, many other sporting events and large gatherings around the world, have been postponed due to COVID-19. While the last post on this blog was meant in jest, this has since officially become defined as a pandemic as regarded by the WHO and is wreaking havoc on the world.
So, how does this affect the tennis community? From a financial standpoint, top WTA and ATP players will be the least-affected given how much money they’ve amassed while competing in high-level tournaments in the past few months and even years; whereas on the other hand, lower-tier tournament players will most definitely be affected negatively as they might have to resort to other work outside of sports, really, to make a living - at this point in time). What about the ball boys and girls, the linesmen, the referees, the umpires and all of the officials and administrators involved in the tennis business? Virtually everyone’s jobs will be placed on hold, barring the subsequent planning for next year’s events. I feel like everyone is in survival mode, and there’s no telling what the future truly holds.
As this is the first time in the history of the ATP and WTA tours have been suspended for a few weeks (with the potential of being suspended even further), the appropriate decision might affect spectatorship, viewership and interest in the sport as a whole, too. A few friends and I were planning on heading to the Miami Open; as it happens, a friend of mine is supposed to have her bachelorette party in Miami that same weekend. Should I stay, or should I go now? Travel seems risky; could state borders, if not counties, soon to be the next step.
In the interim, it’s now officially the “off-season” once more, as many players still pumped from their training in the off-season will have to resort to at-home workouts. At least, that’s what I’m going to be doing. Goodbye, gym membership – hello, stationary bike and treadmill and free weights. All of this will unquestionably carry over into other sports as well; the NBA, for instance, has canceled the remainder of the season; even college tennis conferences have suspended their conference play.
What I’m most scared of, aside from the high likelihood of catching the virus, is the hysteria surrounding this pandemic - how can we go about living our lives without living in complete fear of the unknown? For now, here’s to washing our hands thoroughly and taking as many precautionary measures as we can.