Coronavirus break won’t affect ‘Big Three’ much, feels Amritraj

However, he stated the real struggle is for lower-ranked players, including the Indians. The men’s ATP Tour won’t start before August and the WTA Tour is expected to resume not before July 20. Amritraj said the trio of Federer, Nadal and Djokovic, which has a tight grip over the Grand Slams, won’t feel any financial stress or the pressure of progress.

“They (the three) won’t be affected at all by the loss of money or points. They are all chasing each other on the number of Grand Slams and they already have their legacies in place. They have all made history in their own way,” Amritraj told PTI.

The Indian tennis legend said the situation is tough for a large pool of players across the globe, especially the ones outside the top-100 bracket. “Players in various ranking categories will be affected. The lesser players will really struggle to make a strong comeback when this virus is contained. The older players will have lost crucial time,” he added.

“The Indian players will also be affected exactly like the lower-ranked players, making it hard to get back in terms of fitness, ranking points and cash on hand.” Amritraj, who is the president of the Tamil Nadu Tennis Association (TNTA), said whenever tennis action resumes, the most likely scenario would be that fans won’t be able to watch live action.

“Tennis this year seems a bit distant though the US Open and the delayed French Open are looking to have dates in place. We will have to wait and see if they happen. Tennis could potentially return with no fans for the rest of this year. That is also tentative depending on each country’s situation. Social distancing and the fact that players come from different countries make our sport tougher to run,” he said.

Asked if the so-called pack of challengers, which includes the likes of Australian Open finalist Dominic Thiem and Stefanos Tsitsipas, are any closer to beating the ‘Big Three’, Amritraj opined they are still some way behind.

“All the challengers are still catching up. They are the best behind the top three and there are several others as well. But until they start winning the Grand Slam events and that too on a regular basis, which they will, we will have to wait. The top three players also need to maintain their winning record as age is not on their side,” he said.