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National Post
2 days ago
- Business
- National Post
Canada's Vasek Pospisil to retire at National Bank Open in Toronto: 'The right time'
Vasek Pospisil is planning to retire after the upcoming National Bank Open. Article content The 35-year-old from Vernon, B.C., received a main-draw wild card on Monday for the event in Toronto for his final farewell. Article content Article content 'It's never easy making a decision like this,' Pospisil said in a release. 'Tennis has been a huge part of my life, but it has become clear, both mentally and physically, that it's the right time to step away. Article content 'I feel incredibly grateful to have had the career I've had, especially coming from a small town where this dream once felt so far away. While I'm genuinely excited for what's next, there will always be a part of me that misses the sport and everything it's given me.' Article content Pospisil won six doubles titles on the ATP Tour, including Wimbledon in 2014 and at Indian Wells in 2015. He achieved career-high rankings of No. 25 in singles (2014) and No. 4 in doubles (2015). Article content Pospisil represented Canada twice at the Olympic Games (London 2012 and Rio 2016). Article content He also represented Canada numerous times at the Davis Cup since his debut in 2008. Pospisil played in 35 ties and earned 33 wins, helping Canada capture its first title in 2022. Article content Pospisil co-founded the Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA) in 2019 with Novak Djokovic. The PTPA is a player-led organization that represents professional tennis players, particularly those who are independent contractors. Article content The organization filed an antitrust lawsuit against the women's and men's tours in March, alleging the organizations that run the sport hold 'complete control over the players' pay and working conditions' and their setup constitutes anticompetitive practices that are 'textbook violations of state and federal law.' Article content
Globe and Mail
2 days ago
- Business
- Globe and Mail
Pospisil retiring on home ground at National Bank Open in Toronto
Vasek Pospisil is planning to retire after the upcoming National Bank Open. The 35-year-old from Vernon, B.C., received a main-draw wild card on Monday for the event in Toronto for his final farewell. 'It's never easy making a decision like this,' Pospisil said in a release. 'Tennis has been a huge part of my life, but it has become clear, both mentally and physically, that it's the right time to step away. 'I feel incredibly grateful to have had the career I've had, especially coming from a small town where this dream once felt so far away. While I'm genuinely excited for what's next, there will always be a part of me that misses the sport and everything it's given me.' Pospisil won six doubles titles on the ATP Tour, including Wimbledon in 2014 and at Indian Wells in 2015. He achieved career-high rankings of No. 25 in singles (2014) and No. 4 in doubles (2015). Pospisil represented Canada twice at the Olympic Games (London 2012 and Rio 2016). He also represented Canada numerous times at the Davis Cup since his debut in 2008. Pospisil played in 35 ties and earned 33 wins, helping Canada capture its first title in 2022. Pospisil co-founded the Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA) in 2019 with Novak Djokovic. The PTPA is a player-led organization that represents professional tennis players, particularly those who are independent contractors. The organization filed an antitrust lawsuit against the women's and men's tours in March, alleging the organizations that run the sport hold 'complete control over the players' pay and working conditions' and their setup constitutes anticompetitive practices that are 'textbook violations of state and federal law.' Pro tennis tours file motion to dismiss antitrust lawsuit from Djokovic's players' association He is the second Canadian tennis veteran to announce a retirement at the NBO after 2014 Wimbledon finalist and former world No. 5 Eugenie Bouchard said she will wrap up her career at the women's tournament in Montreal. The NBO tournaments are set to run from Saturday to Aug. 7.
DW
30-06-2025
- Sport
- DW
'Crying with the lights off:' Life as a tennis pro – DW – 06/30/2025
With the Wimbledon tennis championships underway, one ex-player has laid bare the struggles faced by many tennis pros. Noah Rubin knew the moment he had reached the limits of his exhaustion. From the highs of winning the Wimbledon junior title in 2014 and a successful first year as a professional tennis player, by 2018, the American felt his career was spiraling downwards. Sat alone in a Spanish hotel room, he had just gone out of a lower-tier Challenger tournament in the qualifying rounds, losing to an opponent he should have beaten. "I was crying hysterically by myself with all the lights off," Rubin told DW. "I'm just like: 'What am I doing here? Is there any real true happiness and stability in this sport?' And I think we got to the answer of: 'No, there's not.'" Rubin's story is the rule rather than the exception in tennis, which is perceived to be a glamorous and lucrative sport. The reality, though, is often the opposite. Every year, hundreds of players plug away on the professional circuit, traveling from tournament to tournament while struggling to make ends meet. Many don't even win enough prize money to offset their costs. "It ends up with anxiety and depression," Rubin said. "How dark it is to travel to some unknown locations by yourself, trying to find any means of either happiness or comfort, knowing that you're about to hop on this court and not only do you have to win one match, but you have to grind this through." At Wimbledon, one of tennis' four Grand Slam tournaments, the men's and women's champions will each pocket £3 million (€3.52 million, $4.12 million) in prize money this year. Even a player who loses in the first round will take home £66,000. However, outside of these major tournaments, the pickings are far slimmer. "If you don't do well at a Grand Slam, you're not making money," said Rubin, who hit a career high of world No. 125 before finally retiring last year. Poor player pay is one of the reasons why the Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA), an independent group, is suing tennis' governing bodies. The organization, which was co-founded by Novak Djokovic, wants to completely change the way the sport operates. According to the PTPA, 70% of the world's top 1,000 male and female players earn less than $50,000 per year in prize money; 80% of that group earn less than what their season costs them. The PTPA argues that players should get a bigger slice of tournament revenue, claiming they currently only get around 17% of the pie. In the NBA and NHL in the United States, for example, basketballers and ice hockey players receive half of their league's revenue. "Tennis compares very poorly to every sport by every metric in terms of player remuneration," Ahmad Nassar, the PTPA's executive director, told DW, emphasizing that athletes' pay in other major sports "dwarfs what we see in tennis." Unlike their counterparts in the top US sports leagues, whose salaries are negotiated through collective bargaining, professional tennis players are effectively freelancers, earning based on their performance and having to cover their own expenses. These include flights, and the accommodation and salaries of their support team. Rubin estimates the cost of hiring a coach and physio to be as much as $5,000 per week. But a poor run of form can exacerbate the feeling of hopelessness. Sometimes, to save money, the temptation is to go without. "When you have a few bad weeks, you're like: 'What am I paying for?'" the 29-year-old said. "It's not a personal attack on the coach that you're with. I'm losing and I'm losing money to him on top of it. "You continually fight this uphill battle of the ranking system. It's exhausting. And dealing with the injuries on top, dealing with the finances and the travel that you have to do. There's just so much that goes into it." The PTPA's lawsuit, which it filed in March 2025, accused tennis' governing bodies of working like a "cartel" to keep player earnings low, among other things. "We're taking this bitter medicine right now that we had all hoped to avoid, but things weren't changing," Nassar said. "We think that this will be a catalyst for real and lasting change, not just over the next few years, but for the long haul." The ATP and WTA Tours, which run men's and women's tennis, respectively, have sought to have the lawsuit thrown out, complaining it is "entirely without merit" (ATP) and "regrettable and misguided" (WTA). Defending themselves, both tours pointed out various financial benefits for players that have been introduced in recent years. For example, the ATP's "Baseline" program provides a tiered, guaranteed income for male players ranked up to 250 in the world. Those in the lowest category receive a minimum annual income of $100,000. Nassar questioned how many players would actually be able to make a living from such programs. "The players are sick and tired of hearing platitudes that sound good, but in the real world have no effect," he said. Rubin says he is grateful for the opportunities and experiences tennis afforded him, but believes the sport needs to come clean about the costs and sacrifices involved. "Tell us that we're not going to make money," he said. "Tell us that it's going to be a tremendous uphill battle. "My whole new thing is redefining success as a tennis player. Nobody makes it, right? There are very few people who do. The percentages are so small." Edited by: Chuck Penfold.
Straits Times
30-06-2025
- Business
- Straits Times
Trading cards offer lifeline to low-income tennis players
While the world's elite tennis players can earn fortunes, those much further down the rankings often struggle financially. PHOTO: REUTERS LONDON/NEW YORK – A nearly year-old initiative to sell tennis players' trading cards is generating vital extra income for lower earners struggling to make ends meet, its backers said. While the world's elite tennis players can earn fortunes, with Wimbledon for example offering a record £53.5 million (S$93.5 million) in prize money in 2025, those much further down the rankings often struggle financially. Winners Alliance, the commercial partner of the Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA) which wants to address the financial disparities, said the new cards had generated around US$20 million (S$25.5 million) since they were rolled out in August. Some 70 per cent of the income has gone to the 400 players signed up. 'You have the 100th best player in the world and they're struggling to make a living,' Eric Winston, president of Winners Alliance, told Reuters. 'That's not right.' Winners Alliance has teamed up with the Fanatics-owned Topps brand to produce trading cards for the next 20 years, hoping to emulate the huge popularity of such initiatives in other sports such as football and US basketball. The cards, featuring current and former players, are sold online, at hobby shops and on site at big tournaments including the US Open and Australian Opens. The latest release on May 15th sold out in 24 hours. Founded in 2022, Winners Alliance, chaired by hedge fund manager Bill Ackman, manages commercial opportunities for sports players and their agents. Its aim is to generate a recurring annual income of US$100,000 for all ranked players from trading cards, video games and other income streams. 'The level of players in the top 200 has never been so high... and some can barely make ends meet,' said PTPA deputy executive director Romain Rosenberg, citing the example of a player near the top 100 who earned US$25,000 one year after deducting taxes, coaching and other unavoidable costs. Rosenberg contrasted tennis with other sports such as football, where even lower-tier players earn large salaries, often without the high costs tennis players face with coaching, travel and health expenses. 'It is still early days but the aim is to emulate the success of US basketball and baseball leagues... even reaching 10 per cent of their revenue in five to 10 years would generate meaningful passive income for players,' Rosenberg added. The PTPA, co-founded by players Novak Djokovic and Vasek Pospisil in 2020, has backed various efforts to level the playing field between the haves and have-nots of tennis, including legal aid and health programmes. Sports trading cards have enjoyed enduring popularity, buoyed by record-breaking sales, such as a rookie card of baseball great Mickey Mantle fetching US$12.6 million at auction in 2022. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
CNN
30-06-2025
- Sport
- CNN
Iga Świątek slams ‘intense' calendar as players feel the grind to protect rankings
Iga Świątek criticized the relentless tennis calendar on Sunday, with the former world number one saying that players should not be forced to compete in more than 20 tournaments a year to maintain their rankings. Now ranked fourth in the world, Świątek described being trapped in a system where she had to choose between representing her country and focusing on herself after she reluctantly skipped Poland's Billie Jean King Cup qualifier in April. The 11-month grind has been one of the cornerstones of the lawsuit filed by the Professional Tennis Players' Association (PTPA) against the sport's governing bodies in March after the union described it as 'unsustainable.' 'The scheduling is super intense, it's too intense. There's no point for us to play over 20 tournaments in a year,' Świątek told reporters when asked about the biggest challenge to players in terms of mental health. 'Sometimes, we need to sacrifice playing for your country because we need to keep up with playing these WTA 500s, for example, because we're going to get a zero in the ranking. 'I think these kind of obligations and the rules about mandatory tournaments just put pressure on us … I think people would still watch tennis, maybe even more, if we played less tournaments. The quality would be better.' Świątek is the eighth seed at Wimbledon this year and she faces Polina Kudermetova in the first round on Tuesday. The clay court specialist with four French Open crowns fell in the semifinals at Roland Garros this year and she quickly switched her focus to grass which has historically been her weakest surface. She reached her first grass court final on Saturday at the Bad Homburg Open where she was left in tears after losing to top seed Jessica Pegula, but Świątek is happy with her improvement on grass as she comes to grips with the faster surface. 'It's not like a huge change. It's not like 180 degrees change. I wouldn't say now suddenly everything is perfect because it's still a difficult surface. It's still tricky,' Świątek said. 'Every year, it feels like it's a little bit easier to get used to the surface and then you have more time to just develop as a player.'
