How the tennis world is coming together during COVID-19

The tennis world has been completely shut down until mid-July at the earliest. This means no tournaments are being played, leading to no source of income for the majority of tennis players, both on the WTA and ATP tours. Through everything, the game’s players have come together to support the community and its fans throughout the strenuous past month.

Take, for example, Novak Djokovic and the Big 3’s plan to set up a fund for all ATP players ranked between 200 and 700. On April 18th during an Instagram Live chat with Stan Wawrinka, Djokovic described his long conversation with Federer and Nadal to aid lower-ranked players while they cannot play in tournaments.

"“(O)utside of the top 100 players, when you add up the personal and staff expenses for a 30- to 35-week travel calendar, most players are either losing money or breaking even,” Vasek Pospisil, a member of the ATP Players’ Council and the current World #93, wrote in a recent opinion piece."

Djokovic mentioned that the Grand Slam tournaments will be involved along with the ATP; he also briefly discussed a system that will be created to determine the players most in need of funding. It’s a truly comforting feeling knowing how much care the top players have for all players on Tour during the suspension of the season. Every professional tennis player matters and it’s clearly shown with this decision by the three ATP stars.

Amidst all of the concerns throughout time with no tennis, the #tennisathome challenge came up, giving everyone something to look forward to and even take part in. Challenge creator Roger Federer posted the seemingly simple video to Twitter, challenging tennis players and fans to submit their best attempts. Players from Serena Williams and Novak Djokovic took The Maestro’s challenge, along with countless fans and even celebrities like Lindsey Vonn and Mikaela Shiffrin (and Hugh Jackman, to an extent). It gave the tennis world the little spark it needed to get through these tough times.

Of course, who could forget the new addition to the tennis season while everyone is under quarantine? The Madrid Open has shifted to a virtual setting, letting top tennis stars like Rafael Nadal and Angelique Kerber drop their tennis rackets in favor of console controllers. From April 27th-30th, 16 ATP and 16 WTA players will take part in a tournament beginning with a group stage of fours. The top eight move on to a single-elimination knockout format following the group stage. Each winner will receive 150,000 euros to help the social impact of COVID-19. It’s a great way for the tennis world to take their minds off of the situation at hand and simply enjoy themselves during this time.

The spread of the coronavirus has certainly put a strain on the tennis world for the considerable future. However, the immense amount of support from stars and fans alike has brought the community right back on its feet and better than ever. From the viral challenges for players and fans to both enjoy, to the virtual replacements for tournaments and relief for players in need, tennis is, without a doubt, beating the coronavirus.