The tennis world was rocked this week with the official cancellation of Wimbledon, and in the latest edition of "SBJ Unpacks - Weathering COVID-19," our Bret McCormick and professional tennis player Noah Rubin discuss the heavy toll the virus has taken on the tennis world, how the Wimbledon cancellation could be a sign of more to come and how Rubin has had to adapt to the pandemic.
On how being ranked 224th in the world and how the suspension of play in tennis is impacting him financially:
Rubin: I’ve been lucky to save a little bit of money here and there. I’ve done well at some of the bigger tournaments throughout my career which definitely helps ... but at the same time it’s only given me a few extra months of cushion before I start really digging into my savings.
On how Wimbledon being canceled effects lower-ranked players like Rubin:
Rubin: That takes away a little bit less than a quarter of my money for the year from that one tournament, so that’s troubling. I already came to terms with the fact that we weren’t going to have Wimbledon far before they canceled it, but it’s all coming out now and the world is seeing it for what it is, and it’s scary. This has to light a fire under people’s butts to say, “There’s some real issues going on.”
On whether he sees any type of financial assistance from the ATP for lower ranked players:
Rubin: I do not think the money is actually there to help players out. I don’t think tennis makes enough money in general to have the reserves needed to help out players in any way, and I think that’s highlighting a lot of issues within tennis.
On concerns some of these canceled tournaments may not return after the COVID-19 crisis subsides:
Rubin: Tennis is built on sponsorships, and without a year of a tournament, it could be they can’t afford it next year. A lot of these tournaments, if they have one sponsor drop out ... that could mean the end of the tournament.
