Is Tennis the sport for Love or Money?
Tennis is the world’s most pleasant and entertaining sport. At the same time, it is also considered one of the most expensive games in the world. Throughout the year, this sport is on the run and some activity is going on. Being one of the best sport in the world, it is knotted into everyday life, be it on the television, in magazines, in schools, colleges or in social networks, it is simply everywhere.
Nobody can run away from the influence of this game, either as a spectator or a participant. Every year sponsors pour millions of dollars into the tennis industry.
Here the question arises, is it the love for sport or the prize money? What is the main inspiration for players? What is the basic reason behind their good performance and dedication?
As in other sports, there is a general thought process that for players it is no longer about the love of the game or keeping loyalty to your team or fans, it is all a matter of money, or more to the point, “Show me the money” like it was said in the movie Jerry Mcguire. Does it hold true for the game of tennis? This question is something still debatable.
The all four Grand Slam tournaments offer great opportunities to the players from around the world to bring the best of their skills and techniques in the field and get very high rewards in the form of prize money and the status.
The first Major tournament, the Australian Open Championship is held every year in the month of January at Melbourne Park, Australia. This tournament usually has a very high turnout and it achieved the highest ever attendance this year. All the factors put huge influence on the game. No doubt that the game is awesome but it involved $24094000 prize money which was the obvious reason to work the mind, body and soul for success. Serena Williams in the women’s section and Roger Federer on the other side proved to be the lucky ones to achieve success and collect the prize.
This event is followed by the second Grand Slam, the French Open which starts in late May and lasts for two weeks. The prize money for this event is 16,150,460 Euro which is a great attraction and it definitely adds a lot of value to the play.
Similarly Wimbledon involved a total of 13,725,000 Pound Sterling which is a huge amount of money. It was increased by 1.175 million from the year 2009.In this season, the Men’s and Ladies’ Singles Champions received 1,000,000 Pounds each. It was 150,000 Pounds more than the last year’s prize money.
Tim Phillips, Chairman of the All England Club and Wimbledon Championships quoted: "Wimbledon exists in a highly competitive global market place and it is the world's best players who create and drive the interest. It is important that we offer a level of prize money which is both appropriate to the prestige of the event and which gives the players full and fair reward.
Now the U.S. Open is just around the corner. It is also the richest taking in tennis history. It offers an amount of 1.7 million dollars to each of Singles Champions. The U.S. Tennis Association has announced that this year’s final major will top 22.6 million dollars with an increase of $1 million from last year. The U.S. Open tournament will start on August 30, it will last for two weeks and final matches will be held on 12th September 2010.
It means tennis is not only a game of passion but it can also be named as the game of money. The reward money plays a vital role in players’ performances. It is true that players’ lives are centred on the game. That is why it is so imperative for them to milk all the money they can from the sponsors while it lasts. The monetary values are also significant for their survival, if they get hurt and can no longer play what else are they left with? Argument has also erupted across the world as to whether they are worthy of these million dollar prize money. The bottom line is they deserve all the money they earn. High prospects are placed on player personally and professionally, and they have to subject themselves to risk on the court as well as personal sacrifice.
Now, who can you blame when they say, “show me the money”?
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