tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10016685.post239034954157437603..comments2024-03-26T09:23:26.937-04:00Comments on ZooTennis: A Look Back at Aces from Aprils Past; UTR Announces Pro Match Series Featuring Top 100 Players; USTA's Latest on US OpenColette Lewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14905215531491180014noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10016685.post-17640738038816173622020-05-05T18:23:50.497-04:002020-05-05T18:23:50.497-04:00To CEO and John: well stated points and 100% corre...To CEO and John: well stated points and 100% correct I think!Gregnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10016685.post-4129674141592217512020-05-04T10:06:33.926-04:002020-05-04T10:06:33.926-04:00You run as many events as possible without fans ev...You run as many events as possible without fans even if they lose money for the same reasons other businesses are doing so, to maintain your infrastructure. Restaurants for example keep doing take out only even while losing money and keeping key employees on the payroll to avoid losing them. Smart people and good employees are valuable and the best ones will retrain for other industries if they think the future in their current field is bleak.<br /><br />Big time tennis requires executives, stringers, marketing people, and many other support people of all kinds. Tennis needs to keep its brightest minds and best employees, just like any industry does. You can not bail on them for a year and expect to ramp right back up down the line. Non fan events are better than no events for tennis in the long term.CEO in LAnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10016685.post-3957865802943765052020-05-04T09:41:23.807-04:002020-05-04T09:41:23.807-04:00Max Ho, its about looking forward. Just like the s...Max Ho, its about looking forward. Just like the stock market looks forward to 2-3 years.<br /><br />Tennis has to look forward. They play no fan events of some sort in the short term to stay relevant, even if the financial aspect stinks. Thats why the USTA and ITF are putting out guidelines and trying to get tennis back in some form. Thats why Bradenton held pro matches for ESPN3. Why more exhibitions are being played for Tennis Channel.<br /><br />Tennis will always be under ratings pressure from an aging fan base, pickleball, E sports, 10000 TV stations, streaming services. But playing no tournaments vs playing no fan tournaments until fans can return must be done.<br /><br />No guarantee pro tennis even survives long term besides a hand full of top stars. But the ATP. WTA, ITF, USTA, equipment and apparel companies know they must put on some events as soon as possible to have any chance of keeping enough fans to survive long term.Jon Kingnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10016685.post-71339821203305424192020-05-03T14:45:34.209-04:002020-05-03T14:45:34.209-04:00I wonder if the finances are worth it for US open ...I wonder if the finances are worth it for US open to run at different site with no fans, tennis ratings are not that great even with not much going on sports front? It sounded like the plan would be to only do mens and womens main draw (no quali, no junions, no wheelchair...), so hotels would not be as much of an issue. You could also do Cincinnati if they are going to cancel most of summer swing and Western Open is cancelled? I doubt it makes sense for most tournaments to proceed without fans due to loss gate and whether sponsors will still pay with no fans?<br /><br />Tennis is tough with so much travel, just seems like it does not make sense in 2020. Baseball and basketball need to do bubble cities if they want to get season going, NBA Playoffs can be at Disney in Florida, tons of empty hotels, can quarantine with no families for shortened 3 out of 5 playoffs. Tennis does not have that ability. <br /><br /> Max Hohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11722804604997845975noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10016685.post-14443594907653756412020-05-03T10:01:54.717-04:002020-05-03T10:01:54.717-04:00Lake Nona is viable for a fanless event as it has ...Lake Nona is viable for a fanless event as it has a good number of hard courts and is a fairly isolated site that could be quarantined. It is right next to the runways of the Orlando airport so players would even have planes flying 40 feet overhead to remind them of the real US Open of the past! <br /><br />The issue would be hotels. Several hotels would have to be quarantined and players and support staff transported to Lake Nona. Some of the courts have Playsite systems which can call balls in and out. The Open would have to decide whether to install additional systems to call the lines or just play this year with human only line calls.Jon Kingnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10016685.post-88554684790717416802020-05-03T00:18:58.085-04:002020-05-03T00:18:58.085-04:00No, there is a zero percent chance of the US Open ...No, there is a zero percent chance of the US Open with fans this year. Absolutely zero. My uncle has been working for a large liability insurance company for 40 years. Insurance companies have already stated in internal documents that they will not be writing liability policies for events with fans until a vaccine is in place. If Congress writes legislation to hold entities harmless for virus related illness and deaths, that could change. But as of now, no such legislation is close to being approved.<br /><br />Getting insurance without fans is much more possible. Players and employees would have to sign liability waivers. The NBA has been submitting various plans to their insurer for over a month, progress has been made but no agreement yet.Jon Kingnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10016685.post-23694844561008264312020-05-02T18:37:38.008-04:002020-05-02T18:37:38.008-04:00Your location idea is a very good one. Lake Nona i...Your location idea is a very good one. Lake Nona is isolated enough to be a good option I think. Do you think the technology is there to go all electronic line calling so only a chair umpire is needed? No ball kids? The pros will feel like they are back in the juniors, college or challengers! I just the benefit of holding the US Open somehow, someway would be a terrific thing that would highlight our sport in such a unique way!Gregnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10016685.post-70607347077404414502020-05-02T14:16:54.203-04:002020-05-02T14:16:54.203-04:00Do you really think having players from all over t...Do you really think having players from all over the world come to New York in a few months is a good idea? Even with no fans you need players, officials, ball boys, coaches.... Where are the players going to stay, transportation to and from the event? With no fans why would the sponsors want to pay big dollars, the open does not get amazing tv ratings although they would be better with not much in way of sports. <br /><br />I just don't see how New York the hot sport for Covide works at all in 2020. Most realistic option to play would be Indian Wells or Lake Nona with no fansMax Hohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11722804604997845975noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10016685.post-53770810314462790102020-05-02T13:24:10.341-04:002020-05-02T13:24:10.341-04:00I agree that holding the US Open with fans in atte...I agree that holding the US Open with fans in attendance is most likely not happening nor should it. I do not understand why the idea of holding this event and other pro tennis tournaments without spectators is not talked about more. I understand there are a lot of other people involved in running the event in addition to the players. But why couldn’t Wimbledon have been held with some modifications to make it work: no spectators, singles only, have tournament workers wear masks and anything else to make it a safe event. Imagine if our sport had this as the only pro sport out there for people to watch and media to cover?! Ad revenue would have been huge I would imagine due to the number of people who would be watching. So please US Open, think outside the box to make this tournament happen!Gregnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10016685.post-91587409960626850932020-05-02T11:30:15.347-04:002020-05-02T11:30:15.347-04:00Disagree that it is a zero percent possibility. N...Disagree that it is a zero percent possibility. No reason to make a final determination until they have to. Just planning for multiple scenarios as aggressively as possible is the right plan. <br /><br />Side note - why would TV ratings flex as a function of live fans. People are clearly starved for sports content. It all depends on what the status of other sports is as well, but I'm trying to imagine the scenario of someone saying 'well, I live in Portland and would usually tune in to the US Open but there aren't any fans and I usually tune in to watch the fans, not the actual tennis, so I'll watch Netflix instead'. Ratings in my mind would be up if anything. Don't know why the USTA is making public comments about not actively considering the 'no fans' option. If the alternative option is cancelling the entire tournament and it can be done safely (which it can given the extremely low number of people and easy distancing), holding the tourney without fans is a no-brainer. Maybe some players choose not to play. Definitely have to take the prize money down. But, still an easy call to hold the tourney. I don't get it.Brentnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10016685.post-48688365704530250162020-05-02T08:57:23.564-04:002020-05-02T08:57:23.564-04:00The USTA statement seems like denial. Of course th...The USTA statement seems like denial. Of course the US Open will not take place in 6-8 weeks in NY with fans. That is a zero percent possibility. No liability insurance company on earth would underwrite it. Perhaps some form of it could take place without fans. But even that would come down to insurance. The next question would be if TV rights would be renegotiated as a no fan event is not what broadcasters signed up for.<br />Jon Kingnoreply@blogger.com