We all hear about the glamorous, luxury life of the pro tennis lifestyle. So let’s take a look at the other side. A former ATP player shared a few of his anecdotes and memories…
This one guy (American journeyman who played at Brown) bought his way into the top 100 doubles. Buying almost every match he played in Challengers. Paying strong partners to play with him. And in the end made quarterfinals in Wimbledon twice! I was at a Challenger in Geneva and he made the final for the first time. Buying every match. Many players dislike him for it because everybody knows. He was paying Victor Hanescu many times. He plays 42 tournaments every year. All over the world. Mr Airmiles.
Steroids in tennis?
The only serious story I ever heard is someone passing (Former ATP no. 1 and Roland Garros champion’s) hotel room while the door was open and he said it looked like a laboratory in there. Blood doping for sure, take one liter of fresh blood from the body before the match and add it again after the match for quick regeneration.
One Czech player took millions from the ATP for wrongful suspension for doping in 2003. He said the source of the positive test was from supplements given by ATP trainers. He was able to prove something i guess. He does not talk about it to anyone. Maybe ATP decided too quick with the ban and he was able to prove he was innocent somehow and they had to pay him for missing out on prize money. They deal was either so good that he decided he made enough money to retire (at age 28) or it was part of the deal that he should retire if they would pay him.
It was Scud’s father, the Melbourne taxi driver, who got into an argument with Jeff Tarango in a Challenger in Singapore (1994), during a match. I was sitting next to the dad. Philippoussis was not ranked high yet (outside 300, he was still a teenager) and his dad was cheering him on way too loud to get on Tarango’s nerves so at one point Tarango said, ‘Hey old man, don’t worry, the millions will flow into your account soon enough.’ The dad replied in an exteme Australian accent, ‘Get fucked.’……He said that four or five times. So it went up and down and chair umpire Norm Chryst tried to control the situation. asking the dad to stop talking. He replied again with that cranky accent, ‘He started it.’ It was a funny moment but not too crazy. Worthwhile to be a story that was told at many tournaments to follow.
Stefan Eriksson lost triple bagel to Stefan Edberg at Wimbledon one year (1987 first round). So after Eriksson lost that match his wife said, “That’s it, from now on you stay home, coach and play bundesliga.” He was in his early twenties and top 100.
Gimelstob thought, “Agassi is dating Brooke Shields, Sampras this other famous chick (Bridget Wilson) so I should be with Alicia Silverstone…” And so Justin had his agent contact her’s but she didn’t really reply.
Lone wolf… I remember Kafelnikov begging me to stay in his rental in Wimbledon Village because he lost in singles and his entourage left, didn’t want to stay for doubles. No friends. Kafel made himself impossible by behaving like a little child towards organizers etc. missing out on a lot of big and bigger appearance fees. Rude, arrogant etc. That attitude left him few friends who he paid to have around.
German Tennis Fall After Steffi Graf and Boris Becker. Germany lost a lot of pro tournaments like America. They had like fifteen challengers, now one. And the indoor ones were banned because of the fast surface. In Germany number went down to like 20% of people being member in a club compared to the 90s. Clubs having to go together to have enough members to make teams for team tennis. I know one club in Stuttgart which is like one of the national tennis centers having like sixty clay courts busy every afternoon to neglecting about 40 of them not maintaining them for decades. Courts turned green from moss instead of orange. Very sad. Indoor courts being turned into mini soccer courts, badminton and other sports.
Matt Segel · January 31, 2024 at 2:53 pm
Great stories, thank you
Sam · January 31, 2024 at 7:57 pm
This one guy (American journeyman who played at Brown) bought his way into the top 100 doubles. Buying almost every match he played in Challengers.
Scoop, when buying a tennis career, who exactly do you make the check out to? 😏
The only serious story I ever heard is someone passing (Former ATP no. 1 and Roland Garros champion’s) hotel room while the door was open and he said it looked like a laboratory in there.
No doubt Nadal was just “trusting the science.” 😹
Scoop Malinowski · February 1, 2024 at 7:27 am
Sam, not sure about that, maybe to the player himself. Sounds like a lot of matches were sold back in the day, not now of course. Some secrets in the game I guess )
Sam · February 5, 2024 at 8:41 pm
Scoop, these days the matches are probably just sold on eBay. 😉
Scoop Malinowski · February 6, 2024 at 7:59 am
To hear a former pro talk about it so freely suggests it’s fairly common practice.
Sam · February 10, 2024 at 6:36 am
It sure does sound like it. 😐