프로 테니스의 위기

승부조작 파문 

남녀평등은 나름 실현한 테니스가 지금 놓친 부분이 있으니, 그것은 빈부 격차이다. 

테니스가 상당히 부익부 빈익빈 스포츠. 랭킹에 따른 빈부격차가 매우 크다.(골프랑 비교해도 격차가 크다고 한다.) http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/tennis-has-an-income-inequality-problem/  

그리고 이런 문제 상황에서 승부조작 사건이 실체를 들어낼지도 모르겠다. 
 
http://www.bbc.com/sport/tennis/35319202
http://www.theguardian../../eight-players-australian-open-dr..
http://espn.go.com/tennis/../report-alleges-widespread-match-..

테니스는 사람들이 승부내기를 많이 하는 종목 중 하나인데 (도박사이트 등을 통해서 돈이 많이 몰린다는 이야기. 탁구/배드민턴 등 보다 테니스의 인기가 훨씬 높다.) 선수 한명만 꼬드기면 승부조작이 가능하고 (예를 들어 여러 명이 뛰는 축구보다 조작이 훨씬 쉽다) 더 나아가서 꽤 높은 랭킹인 100위 안쪽의 선수들마저도 투어 상금만으로는 모든 비용을 감당하기 어려운 경우도 있다고 한다. (스폰서 등을 잘 구하면 순위가 낮아도 돈을 많이 버는 경우도 있다.) 

어제 이 기사가 터져서 호주오픈 첫 경기후 선수들을 대표한다고 할 수 있는 조코비치와 페더러에게 경기 후에 이것과 관련한 질문들이 쏟아졌는데, 페더러는 고생 안 해본 티가 나는 대답을 했다. (훈련은 고생하며 했겠지만 선진국 스위스에서 꽤 부잣집 자식으로 태어나서 어려서부터 스위스 테니스 협회의 지원을 받고 성장한 페더러는 금전적인 고민을 한 인생이 아니다.) 

Q. When you're not top 100 or 150, it's tough to stay alive on the circuit without finding other ways. That's probably the reason why, even if we wouldn't accept, it happens. Don't you think the problem should be to find some more money for those people who are not top 100? Challengers, minor tournaments, it's there where they try to fix.

ROGER FEDERER: I completely disagree with you. I think you don't understand. It doesn't matter how much money you pump into the system, there's always going to be people approaching players, or people, any sport. It's all a question of money, you know.

It doesn't maybe happen at the challengers. It's going to happen at the futures. It's going to go away if you offer $1 million for every player to play at every tournament? It's not going to change a thing.

Still might be approached. That's why I think you're wrong there, that more money there is going to solve the issue completely.

I agree we should have more money at futures, challengers, all these levels. But it's not going to solve the issue. The issue is elsewhere, in the player's mind.

한편, 조코비치는 2007년에 그런 어둠의 세력들이 접근해왔던 이야기를 했다. (유고 내전 중에 이민까지 고민했던 세르비아 출신의 조코비치이다.) 

Q. In 2007 you were quoted as saying you'd been offered $200,000 to throw a first-round match in St. Petersburg. I believe you didn't actually even play in the tournament. Can you clarify that and tell us what happened.

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: I was not approached directly. I was approached -- well, me personally. I was approached through people that were working with me at that time, that were with my team. Of course, we threw it away right away. It didn't even get to me, the guy that was trying to talk to me, he didn't even get to me directly. There was nothing out of it.

Unfortunately there were some, in those times, those days, rumors, some talks, some people were going around. They were dealt with. In the last six, seven years, I haven't heard anything similar.

I personally was never approached directly, so I have nothing more to say about that.

Q. As a young player on your way up, how did that make you feel, even be indirectly associated with it?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: It made me feel terrible because I don't want to be anyhow linked to this kind of -- you know, somebody may call it an opportunity. For me, that's an act of unsportsmanship, a crime in sport honestly. I don't support it. I think there is no room for it in any sport, especially in tennis.

But, you know, I always have been taught and have been surrounded with people that had nurtured and, you know, respected the sport's values. That's the way I've grown up. Fortunately for me, I didn't need to, you know, get directly involved in these particular situations.

이 승부조작이 어느 정도까지 실체를 들어낼지 모르겠지만, 최악의 경우에는 내가 프로 테니스 세계에 관심이 멀어질 수도 있을 거라 생각이 들었다.