Mahesh Bhupathi reveals tennis stars' financial woes amid pandemic, hopes it'll pass soon

India's tennis ace Mahesh Bhupathi spilled the beans on the financial crunch faced by the country's tennis stars &called for a proper plan to be in place to back them at times as such. With most of the tournaments cancelled or deferred to a future date due to the ongoing coronavirus crisis, most stars face a financial uncertainty - especially players who are ranked below 50. Speaking to a news daily, Mahesh Bhupathi revealed that over 85% of the tennis players were going to struggle due to the COVI-19 pandemic and its effects on the tennis world. 

READ | Wimbledon Cancelled: Serena Williams, Martina Navratilova, Ex-champions React On Twitter

'There needs to be a plan'

Mahesh Bhupathi pointed out that most of the tennis stars were on weekly wages and that tennis was an expensive sport which required a lot of spending. The tennis ace said that big stars were also required to pay their support staff, which too did not come cheap. Further, the tennis ace said that the ATP and the WTA need to come up with a plan to back players at times as such and cited Sumit Nagal's case, who according to Mahesh Bhupathi, had come down to $500 twice in the recent past and that financial support was the only reason that kept him going. Praying for the pandemic to pass and the situation to improve soon, Mahesh Bhupathi also said that the game of the juniors would also go for a 'toss' if they do not receive support from their parents.

READ | Wimbledon To Get HUGE $123.4 Million Insurance Cover After Tournament Cancellation: Report

Coronavirus in India

The number of COVID-19 cases in the country climbed to 2,902 on Saturday while the death toll rose to 68, according to the Union Health Ministry. The number of active COVID-19 cases stands at 2,650, while 183 people were either cured or discharged and one had migrated to another country, it said.

READ | Bill Gates 'warned' Rafael Nadal Of Coronavirus Consequences Back In February: Toni Nadal

As per the ministry's updated data on coronavirus cases Saturday morning, six fresh deaths were reported -- three from Maharashtra, two from Delhi and one from Gujarat. Thus, Maharashtra has reported the most deaths (19) so far, followed by Gujarat (9),  Telangana (7), Madhya Pradesh (6), Delhi (6), Punjab (5), Karnataka (3), West Bengal (3), Jammu and Kashmir (2), Uttar Pradesh (2) and Kerala (2). Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Bihar and Himachal Pradesh have reported a death each. The figure of 2,902 includes 55 foreign nationals.

READ | Roger Federer Reacts As Wimbledon 2020 Gets Cancelled, Feels 'devastated'