One of Australia’s top players have dismissed the idea that his fellow rivals on the tour should contribute towards a fund to support those ranked lower than them after Dominic Thiem received criticism for his opposition.
John Millman, who is currently ranked 43rd on the ATP Tour, believes the problem lies with the governing bodies of the sport. Recently Novak Djokovic issued a letter to the ATP Tour outlining a plan where he hoped that those in the top 100 would contribute towards a fund set up to support those during the tour suspension. The donations range between $5000 and $30,000 depending on where a player is positioned inside the top 100.
However, the initiative failed to receive the backing of Thiem. Who lost to Djokovic in the Australian Open final in January. The world No.3 said he didn’t want to donate to the fund because he has concerns that the money could go to those who are ‘unprofessional’ or don’t commit fully to the Tour. Prompting many to hit out at the Austrian. Including Algerian player Ines Ibbou, who published an emotional video detailing her struggles on the tour. The 21-year-old has only managed to make $27,825 in prize money so far in her career.
“There are just a few things that bother me about the whole thing,” Thiem told Sky Sports Austria.
“I don’t back down from my opinion that there are some players I don’t want to support. Therefore I would much prefer it to be chosen by the players themselves, because then those players who really need it and who really deserve it will benefit.”
Speaking with the Australian Associated Press, Millman has jumped to Thiem’s defence by arguing that his comments have been misinterpreted. Thiem never said he wouldn’t donate to a program that would help players, but said he wanted to choose who to donate to.
According to Millman, he believes the problem lies with the management of the ATP, WTA and ITF. The veteran player have played on the ATP Tour for a decade and has made more than $3.5 million in prize money earnings.
“Look, players outside 100 are struggling all year round whether there is coronavirus or not,” Millman told AAP.
“I don’t think it should come down for someone like Dominic to prop up the tour.
“It should be managed better by the ATP, the WTA and the ITF.
“There should have been a bigger effort earlier on for these organisations to have made it a priority to grow the game and help people make money from the game.”
Elaborating further, Millman said he was frustrated that it took the COVID-19 pandemic to get the ball rolling. All professional tennis matches have been suspended since March until at least July 31st.
“My biggest problem is that it has taken coronavirus for us to be talking about it,” he said.
“There have been plenty of opportunities over the years to try and get more people making money out of the sport and I don’t think we have done a good enough job.”
Recently the ATP, WTA and ITF announced the launch of a player relief fund set out to support those in need during the tour break. Valued at an estimated $6 million the money will be targeted towards an estimated 800 ATP/WTA singles and doubles players providing they meet certain criteria.
