£4.8m tennis fund set up for 800 players

Funds will be split evenly between the WTA and ATP and directed towards 800 singles and doubles players in need of support

A fund worth £4.81m has been created by seven of tennis’ major governing bodies to assist players suffering financially from the lack of competition.

The ATP and WTA tours have come together with the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and the four Grand Slam tournaments to create the package of support.

With the professional game currently suspended until at least July 13, and many of the circuit relying on event earnings, up to 800 players have been identified as potential recipients of the ‘Player Relief Programme’.

The Grand Slam tournaments – the Australian, French and US Opens, and Wimbledon – offer the biggest paydays of the year and have played their part in building the fund, which totals £4.81m.

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Former British No 1 Greg Rusedski has added his voice to calls for the ATP and WTA tours to be combined, and also explained why he is taking part in the 2.6 Challenge

Former British No 1 Greg Rusedski has added his voice to calls for the ATP and WTA tours to be combined, and also explained why he is taking part in the 2.6 Challenge

The ATP and WTA will take responsibility for distributing the payments, which will be split equally between the respective tours. Prior performance will be an important factor in determining how much an individual is likely to be in line to receive.

A statement read: “The Player Relief Programme will target a total of approximately 800 ATP/WTA singles and doubles players collectively, in need of financial support.

“Eligibility for the Player Relief Programme will take into account a player’s ranking as well as previous prize money earnings according to criteria agreed by all stakeholders.

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Speaking on April 25, Britain’s Tara Moore said her fellow professionals were ‘very unhappy’ with the lack of support provided by the ITF during the pandemic

Speaking on April 25, Britain’s Tara Moore said her fellow professionals were ‘very unhappy’ with the lack of support provided by the ITF during the pandemic

“The creation of the Player Relief Programme is a positive demonstration of the sport’s ability to come together during this time of crisis. We will continue to collaborate and monitor the support required across tennis with the aim of ensuring the long-term health of the sport in the midst of this unprecedented challenge to our way of life, and our thoughts remain with all those affected at this time.”

Professional tennis has been on hold since early March because of the coronavirus outbreak, and no tournaments will be played before mid-July at the earliest.

The global pandemic has seen Wimbledon cancelled for the first time in 75 years, while the French Open postponed its start from May to September.