"Not everyone will stand the test of COVID-19": Chesnokov on stagnation in tennis and the possible abolition of the season

- How powerful was the coronavirus pandemic in tennis?

- It is difficult to imagine what could be worse and provoke more stagnation than the current situation. I think everyone will suffer, and not just those associated with sports. The economy is already creeping down, life is frozen, and movement is vital for growth. But in the place of athletes, I would continue to work and would do everything to keep fit.

- What consequences will the spread of infection have on ATP and WTA tours?

- This situation will affect the leaders of the world ranking to a lesser extent, because they have the opportunity to keep themselves in good shape. There will always be those who are ready to help them, provide courts. For example, I know that Novak Djokovic is training near the house without violating quarantine. I think other leaders have better conditions. As for tennis players with a lower rating, then with them everything is much more complicated. After all, the main base is laid in the offseason - from the end of November to December. What they do now is not entirely clear.

- Psychological aspects during the period of forced downtime strongly affect?

- Yes. I personally have to make my wards run cross-country in self-isolation. No way without it. Imagine how it feels for them to motivate themselves, not knowing what will happen in a month? In normal times, the tennis calendar is scheduled for a year. And now everyone is in a situation where they are sitting at home and just waiting for permission to return to their usual way of life.

- What can you advise athletes in such a situation?

- It is necessary to overpower yourself, continue to work, no matter what. Therefore, it will be very interesting for me to see who leaves the pandemic with minimal losses and does not bend under the pressure of circumstances. You can lose shape very quickly. And in order to return to the previous level and stay on top, you need to prepare yourself for years and continue to plow. I am sure some players will not stand the test and will have to give up their positions. Only real fans of their field, such as Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, will remain on horseback. They will not allow themselves to relax.

- Is Daniil Medvedev one of the “plowmen”?

- It is difficult to answer with confidence. In any case, it will not be easy for him to return those conditions that were a year ago. Then he got into a rage and played really crazy. I do not know how much Daniel will be ready to surprise the world again. At the beginning of this year, not everything went smoothly with him, but we will believe in the best.

• Andrey Chesnokov
• globallookpress.com
• © Panoramic / ZUMAPRESS.com

- The tennis world has already lost the dirt season. What is the mark on tennis players ?

- Any training process has its own cycle. Preparation for each Grand Slam tournament lasts long enough. In fact, it develops throughout the year, that is, there is a systematic approach. A series of tournaments preceding the majors also serve for this. But in the current conditions it is not known which competitions may still fall out of the calendar. Therefore, it will not be easy to fully get in shape for the grass season if it does not suffer the same fate.

- How will the pandemic affect tournaments with small prize pools?

- Of course, with such stagnation, an economic crisis cannot be avoided. And he, in turn, affects not only ordinary people, but also businessmen financing tournaments. It is not yet clear what will happen to sponsorship contracts. Without them, competitions of this level will have to be canceled, possibly even en masse.

- Former first racket of the world Amelie Moresmo called to end the season ahead of schedule, as the situation with COVID-19 remains unstable, and a vaccine for the virus has not yet been found.

- I do not share her position. How do we compensate for the cancellation of most of the season? Transfer to the next is not possible, since in tennis every tournament is repeated from year to year. I also disagree with the position of Moresmo because everything is very swollen. After all, we are not talking about war. There are other diseases that people suffer to a much greater extent. It seems to me that coronavirus is not so dangerous. Therefore, I do not understand what is happening in the world. They close the tennis court and I can’t train. At the same time, public transport continues to work. If you decide to enter quarantine, then everyone needs to sit at home and not lean out.

- Perhaps tennis bosses should think about how to conduct only major tournaments, abandoning cheaper and passing?

- It's impossible. Low-rated tennis players will lose the opportunity to qualify for major competitions. Each makes a schedule of performances, taking into account their rating and capabilities. Therefore, small tournaments play a very important role. Unfortunately or fortunately, tennis tours are very subtle mechanisms in which each gear is important.

- And is a pandemic capable of affecting the calendars of tours? Can ATP and WTA listen to tennis players who complained about his congestion?

- I do not think that reforms are necessary. A tennis player must play a certain number of tournaments during one season, as well as four majors. Thus, a total of about 18 competitions per year. This is not so much. In my opinion, to be in good shape, you need to take part in 20-25 tournaments. But everyone has the right to plan his calendar as he wants. You can go to court every week. You can play two tournaments, and then pause. This is normal practice. But if you are a professional, you should treat your work accordingly.

- Now virtually all tennis players have been unemployed and have ceased to receive bonus, unlike representatives of other sports.

- You're right. For most tennis players, tournaments are the only source of income. Leaders provide themselves through advertising contracts, which can not be said about the middle peasants. And most of all, the crisis will affect those who are outside the top 200, they earn no more than € 100 thousand per year and spend a significant part of this money on specialists, flights and medical procedures. This is the situation in tennis - heaven and earth compared to football, hockey and other sports.

- Will trainers and other specialists, whose tennis players pay for their work out of pocket, lose their places in this connection?

- It is too early to talk about this, since the pause does not last so long. But if it drags on, then a small crisis will be inevitable.

- Is it worth the ATP and WTA to take into account the current situation and create funds that in the future will help protect tennis players from force majeure circumstances?

- In my opinion, each athlete should be financed by national organizations. Who will support Russian sport besides ourselves? But while it’s too early to talk about large amounts sufficient to ensure that the player has risen to a high level. The Russian Tennis Federation (FTR) may pay € 40-50 thousand per year. This is good money, but not enough. But the problem is that tennis in our country is still losing in popularity to the same football.

- How to fix it?

- It all depends on advertising and the work of the media. In the off-season, whole newspaper turns can be devoted to friendly matches of the RPL leaders, and now the football championship of Belarus is being broadcast on television. Why not instead remember how our generation won, not to record important matches, taking the example from the Bolshoi Theater, and not to communicate with those who raised Russian tennis. Not much is needed for this. I myself am a fan of football, but I refuse to understand why our tennis players, who achieve much greater success, are not carried around.

- How can the organizers solve the problem of rating points?

- I think the most logical and easiest way out would be to freeze the rating. After all, tennis players simply do not have the opportunity to defend last year's titles. It is unlikely that the points of Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic for the victory at Roland Garros and Wimbledon will burn out. And in relation to other tennis players who have achieved local success in this and less prestigious tournaments, it will be unfair.