Tennys Sandgren mocks politically correct attitude and statements given by tennis players to attract sponsors
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Tennys Sandgren (Image Credit: Scroll.in)
Tennis is an individual sport. Hence, the reputation of the player is very important not just for him or her but tournament organizers, sponsors, and also to the media. Most of the great players have always tried to maintain a fine balance between their personal opinions and their media image. Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal had long and successful careers, but seldom their names have been involved in any kind of controversy.
Most tennis players keep their opinions to themselves and never share them with the media and the public at large. However, there have been legends such as Martina Navratilova, John McEnroe, and Boris Becker, amongst others who are more open and are not afraid to share their views. Contemporary players such as Nick Kyrgios and Taylor Fritz are known for their bold views.
American tennis player Tennys Sandgren is one of those players who often find himself in one controversy or another due to his comments. During Novak Djokovic‘s Australia deportation fiasco, he took the side of the Serb. However, he also had to face ramifications for his bold comments.
In a recent interview, he talked about how the fear of losing sponsorship has not allowed tennis players to speak their minds.
“Unfortunately, it’s not just in tennis but it’s everywhere. If you accidentally say something offensive to someone the sponsors want nothing to do with you because they are trying to sell their products. In the end there are few people who are dissatisfied with the politically correct, the majority of people think about themselves and their lives. However, it is very difficult to live without ever offending anyone because whatever you say you will always find someone who does not share your thoughts and will feel offended,” he said.
He thinks that tennis players are trying to become more politically correct and try not to offend any person with their conduct on the court and off it.
“It’s no fun living by always checking every word that comes out of your mouth. I’ve heard a top player in the past say that it would be interesting if players exposed themselves more. I smiled because it is clear that it would be nice but at the same time it would be sad if a player fails to earn money through sponsors for certain opinions,” World No.265 continued further.
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Tennys Sandgren wish to play at Australian Open 2023
Tennys Sandgren had a great season in 2019. He won his first ATP title. He also achieved his career’s highest singles ranking the same year, i.e., the World No.41. But since then, his form and fitness have taken a downward turn. He is struggling to keep up his form and has lost matches. This resulted in him dropping out of the Top 100. As a result of which he lost the chance to qualify directly in a Grand Slam tournament.
Therefore, he has to play in ITF Challenger tournaments and qualifying rounds of the Grand Slams. He is currently ranked No.265 in the ATP rankings. The American played his last Australian Open tournament in 2021. He lost to Alex de Minaur in the first round here. He could not compete at Melbourne Park in 2022 because of some physical issues.
The American elaborated upon how he is training for the 2023 season despite missing almost a whole season of top-tier tennis tournaments.
“Even though we’re at the end of the year, I really want to play because I missed most of the season due to physical problems. At the same time, it was mentally difficult to have all these little injuries that didn’t allow me to compete continuously. This week is very important for me because I’m trying to get into the Australian Open qualifiers, I think I need to reach the semifinal or the final but it’s tough, every match in tournaments like that is a real struggle,” he said.
Tennys Sandgren is looking to make the 2023 season count and make it the most memorable one.
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Abhar Indorkar
(451 Articles Published)