Jodie Evans

Edge of Sports Dave Zirin
Advantage Union
When we think
about the pro
tennis tour—with its
starched whites, sevenfigure
paydays, and
country club environs—the
first thing that pops up
isn’t, “Those guys need a union.” In
other sports—like the remorseless
brutality of boxing or the death march
of professional cycling—the need for a
union where none exists seems like
common sense. But surely not in the
genteel land of tennis.
Think again. There is a
growing roar among the top
players in the game that they
will organize and go on strike if
their demands are not heard.
What demands, you may
ask? During the U.S. Open,
players had to take the court
for three consecutive days to
make up for rain delays, and
they had to play on wet and
dangerous surfaces for part of
the tournament. They then
were given one day off before
having to fly to Europe for the
Davis Cup.
A strike “is a possibility,” said
Andy Murray, the world’s number
four player. “Let’s hope it
doesn’t come to that, but I’m
sure the players will consider it. We
need to have some say in what goes on
in our sport. . . . We just want things
to change, really small things. Two or
three weeks off during the year, a few
less tournaments each year, which I
don’t think is unreasonable.”
Sport in Society and the Northeastern
University School of Journalism have
selected Dave Zirin as the winner of
this year’s Excellence in Sports Journalism
in Print/Online Media. His newest
book, in collaboration with John Carlos,
is “The John Carlos Story,” from
Haymarket Books.
42 u November 2011
The constant rain and chaotic
schedule at the U.S. Open brought
much of the ongoing griping of the
pro tennis tour out into the open. The
great Rafael Nadal, Murray, and star
U.S. player Andy Roddick confronted
tournament referee Brian Earley when
they were rushed onto a damp court
they were told was dry. After Earley
insisted this wouldn’t happen again,
water began to actually seep through
the cracks of Louis Armstrong Stadium
the following day. It was so bad
PATRICK MARTINEZ
that announcers John McEnroe, Brad
Gilbert, and Chris Evert openly talked
on the telecast about the importance
of getting a union so players could
protect their very safety. McEnroe
even went on a six-minute discourse—an
unheard of amount of
time on broadcast television—to discuss
the history of tennis players who
had tried to organize. He ended by
saying, “There is no player union, and
that’s the crux of the issue.”
It’s understandable why some
might not be overly sympathetic to
the players. But whether you are
Nadal, who is trying to become one of
the best players in the history of the
sport, or if you are a low-ranked athlete
trying to make your way, these are
terrible conditions that risk your
entire livelihood. Tennis pros move
their bodies with such violent torque
that playing on a wet court could
shear the ligaments in your knees and
shoulders with one slip.
Also, playing three consecutive
days for a player of Nadal’s intensity is
the equivalent of asking a marathoner
to run twenty-six miles for three consecutive
days. The Association
of Tennis Professionals circuit
isn’t a country club tour; it’s
more like a sweatshop. Players
are treated like scenery for television
broadcasts, and there is
no controlling authority that
looks out for their interests. As
Nadal said later on ESPN,
“They know it’s a lot of money,
and we are just part of the
show. They are working for
that, not for us.”
You might think that if players
of Nadal, Murray, and Roddick’s
stature are unhappy,
change would be in the offing.
But tennis has faced down
angry stars in the past. Stan
Smith boycotted the opportunity
to repeat as Wimbledon
champion in 1973 to protest the suspension
of Nikola Pilic by the Yugoslav
tennis federation. And in 1989, Ivan
Lendl sat in at the doors of the U.S.
Open, according to McEnroe.
The simple fact is that unless all
the players organize together, the
conditions on the tennis tour will
never improve.
This is a reality that all the players
seem to be realizing. It’s a reality that
goes by the name of “solidarity.”
After Nadal spoke on ESPN, the
great Serena Williams sent out a
tweet, “Preach Rafael Nadal preach.”
It’s a new day on the tour. u