“Could think of a 1000 players more deserving”- Rafael Nadal’s Madrid Open opponent Darwin Blanch faces scrutiny over Nike deal as alleged corruption comes to light
Darwin Blanch will play Rafael Nadal in the first round of the Madrid Open tomorrow.
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Darwin Blanch and Rafael Nadal (Image via X/Imago)
16-year-old Darwin Blanch faced stern scrutiny by fans on social media following the announcement that he will play Rafael Nadal in the first round of the Madrid Open. This comes after he has been handed a wildcard by the tournament organizers.
The reason for this scrutiny is that Blanch is guaranteed a minimum paycheck of over $50,000 by being given a main draw wildcard. Some players outside the Top 100 who are supposed to be given a wildcard cannot even make that kind of money all year.
However, because Blanch is now signed with IMG (which also owns the Madrid tournament) and Nike, he will be given privileges over much more talented players, even from the same age group.
In addition, Blanch also trains at Juan Carlos Ferraro’s academy in Spain, the same place where Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz trains in preparation for tournaments.
Meanwhile, Blanch has been doing pretty well in the junior category. Last year, the left-hander reached the semifinals of Roland Garros Junior, Wimbledon Junior, and this year’s ITF World Tennis Tour. He became the second youngest player in the history of the ATP to earn a ranking point at the age of 14 years and 5 months. However, the American teenager has also fallen from his No. 4 career high in juniors to No. 10 after consecutive losses.
Tennis fans react to alleged corruption in men’s tennis as Darwin Blanch gets preferential treatment
Tennis fans on X (formerly known as Twitter) have hit out at the clear allegation of corruption in men’s tennis, which saw 16-year-old Darwin Blanch drawn to play against Rafael Nadal when other youngsters and older players earned the right.
Sharing a wide spectrum of reactions online, here’s what fans have to say:
A tennis fan reacted:
Blanch will face Nadal tomorrow in what is set to be a match between the young and the old generation. Before Blanch was born, Nadal had two Grand Slam titles to his name.
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Vitasta Singh
(691 Articles Published)