COVID-19 catalyzes further talk of players' unions

New York Times tennis scribe Christopher Clarey has penned the latest in a range of forward-thinking and, for many, illuminating pieces about how tennis presses on in the eventual wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Among the considerations: ATP and WTA touring professionals outside of the top 50, and certainly outside the top 100, who need to consider how to work within their means to support their own staffs—members of their teams that, in more straightforward, easy-going times are colloquially referred to as their entourages.

Also in play during this shutdown time is the concept of players potentially unionizing, which has been bandied about over many years without orderly resolution of the sort.

"What’s always sort of hampered us to try to change things is the fact we’re always playing and always so busy and now we have a lot more time on our hands to assess things," John Isner, the top-ranked American male player (at No. 21), told Clarey. "I know a lot of people out there speak of unionizing. We’ll see if that’s a possibility. If there ever was a situation that could arise, I would imagine it would be right now."

Among the myriad questions related to such union efforts are whether both ATP and WTA players would do so, and if yes, if they would band together for their betterment.

Read Clarey's article, chock full of realism in these times, and chase that with his take on Wimbledon's first cancellation in 75 years, since World War II ravaged parts of the globe. And during and after that: Stay home and take heart.