Thiem: "There are many, many players who don't put the sport above everything else and don't live in a professional manner."
Tuesday 28 April 2020 10:14, UK
World No 3 Dominic Thiem has rejected the notion that the top tennis players should chip in to help lower-ranked competitors.
The world's top-ranked player Novak Djokovic last week urged fellow pros to contribute to a fund set up by the sport's major governing bodies.
The fund will help players most affected financially by a shutdown which began in March and will continue at least until mid-July due to the coronavirus pandemic.
But Austrian Thiem said he felt there were sections of society that needed more urgent help during the economic crisis caused by the pandemic than his fellow competitors.
And the 26-year-old, a three-time Grand Slam finalist, criticised the attitude of some players on the lower-tier Futures circuit, which he said meant they did not deserve handouts from the sport's top players.
He told Austrian newspaper Krone: "I've seen players on the ITF-Tour who don't commit to the sport 100 per cent.
"Many of them are quite unprofessional.
"I don't see why I should give them money. I'd rather donate to people and institutions who really need it.
"There is no profession in the world where you are guaranteed success and high income at the start of your career.
"None of the top players took anything for granted. We all had to fight our way up the rankings."
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