Donald Trumph’s unprecedented win in the U.S election has sent shockwaves around the world. Few believed that a man marred by a series of high-profile controversies could become a political heavyweight. It is unclear as to what a Trump presidency will look like, but one winner could be the tennis community.
Famous for his business activities, TV appearances and questionable actions around women, Trump has been a lifelong tennis fan. In the late 1990’s he made headlines after agreeing to manage teenage tennis prodigy Monique Viele, his first and only experience in managing an athlete. Unfortunately for Trump, Viele failed to breakthrough on the main circuit, peaking at a ranking high of 817th in 2000.
Trump’s unsuccessful venture with Viele failed to deter his passion for the sport. A regular attendee at the US Open (despite the booing from the crowd), another high-profile activity of his in the tennis world was in a promotional campaign with the WTA. In 2012 Trump starred alongside Aretha Franklin and Richard Branson in a video supporting the ‘strong is beautiful’ campaign.
“I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know some of the stars of women’s tennis in the last few years and they are not just amazing athletes, but great people. I love the sport and am happy to participate in the campaign,” Trump said.
At the time there was some criticisms surrounding his appearance in the video. Especially by those concerned about his interaction and treatment of women. Nevertheless, like his presidential campaign, Trump dodged the critics and continued doing things on his own terms.
Our next president, The Donald, playing Tennis against Serena Williams. #MAGA pic.twitter.com/eCDJ9ImfDY
— HILLARY YOU’RE FIRED (@TrueCharLen) 9 July 2016
It isn’t just women’s tennis that has sparked the interest of Trump. Barry Buss is a former tennis professional turned tennis writer. In July, Buss sized upon his chance of talking with Trump about Sam Querrey’s performance at the Wimbledon Championships (prior to his win over Novak Djokovic). When he started to talk about the subject, Buss was greeted with a lengthy (and confusing) rambling from Trump.
“I know Yosemite Sam. Total winner. He’s more Soft Sam. Hell, he loses the coin toss, guy just goes away. Soft Sam. He just looks defeated when he walks on the court, shoulders always slumped over. Shortest tall guy I know, Soft Sam. Going gets tough, Sam gets going. You always know with Sam if you just look at him funny he goes away. Gutless. Gutless Sam. Soft Sam. No fight, all flight. Surprised somebody who loses that much would still be playing to be honest.” Said Trump.
Starting with what appears to be an attack on the world No.31, in true ‘Trump logic’ he ended the conversation by praising the ability of Querrey and even went to the extend of comparing himself to the tennis player.
“I like Sam. Big guy. Nice guy. Shouldn’t have to go on a dating show to get a date though, right? Southern California tennis pro. He should be swatting em away with Babolats. Not sure what the problem is there. Maybe its different for guys who don’t win all the time like me. I wouldn’t know. But nice guy. Little soft. Soft Sam. But he takes his losses well.”
It could be said that Trump’s confusing analysis of Querrey is identical to some of the questionable policies he set out throughout his presidential campaign. The difference is that in this scenario, he can’t be criticised for expressing his own opinion and showing passion for the subject.
The saying ‘there is no such thing as bad publicity’ is one that can be applied to Trump and the world of tennis. Looking back at the previous presidency, Barack Obama’s interest and love for basketball was something that was invaluable for the NBA. Earlier this year Adam Silver (commissioner of the NBA) admitted that his interest was something that helped expand the appeal of the league beyond the USA.
“No question about it, having the president of the United States be a huge basketball fan has made a huge difference to us,” Silver told cluchpoints.com.
“I think even especially outside of the United States, where the people associate basketball with American culture and it’s iconic, and the fact that people know he watches games and he’s a Chicago Bulls fan has been really impactful.”
He may not be the most popular man in the world, but having the endorsement of the U.S President in the tennis community will never harm their future prospects. Even if it is Donald Trump.
