AWhen Victoria Azarenka took her first steps as a professional tennis player 21 years ago, one of the most important early decisions she made was to invest in her own fitness trainer. After enjoying a stellar junior career, Azarenka already knew she wanted to be a top tennis player for as long as possible, and starting to build a strong team around her was a top priority in achieving that goal. But not everyone did that back then.
“I think when I first started, when I was a young player, I was one of the few players who traveled with a fitness trainer,” Azarenka said with a smile. “Now I’m a fitness coach, physical therapist, psychologist, photographer, manicurist Everything…sometimes a bit exaggerated, but tennis has become more professional.
Professional tennis has changed in many ways over the years, and one of the most significant changes has been the growth of player entourages. While top players used to travel with just a coach (if they had one), it is now standard for them to have personal fitness trainers and physiotherapists as they try to maximize their talents.
As with many trends in recent years, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams have set the standard with their large entourages, and their influence has been felt in Carlos ·This can be seen in players such as Alcaraz and Yannick Sinner. “It’s great to find the team that’s right for you,” Taylor Fritz said. “Very early on, I invested in a full-time physical therapist. That was important because taking care of your body is the most important thing. Once you get into the top 100 and I feel like you have the money to afford it, then for sure It’s worth it. It will pay off.
There’s still a huge contrast between wealthy leaders who can afford to travel with a small army of assistants and the rest of the tour, but growing prize money in the biggest tournaments allows more players to invest in other team members. Andy Murray said: “I think it’s really important to do that as much as possible. Obviously there’s a lot more prize money on the tour now and certainly more players can afford to pay more than just Accompanying a coach.
Madison Keys agrees. “It’s definitely changed a lot since I first started,” she said. “Obviously, I think more prize money would help, but I think it’s getting to the point where we need everyone on the road, but definitely more people, more kids. There’s always a lot of people around. We really are A traveling circus.
This entourage is more than just performers. The players were surrounded by family and friends, and their player boxes were packed with agents and sponsors. For Tommy Paul, who won the Queen’s Cup last week, the increased schedule and two weeks of 1000 games means fewer opportunities to get home. “If you want to have friends, you have to take them on the road,” Paul said. “If you want to play a whole year, you have to bring a physiotherapist. Obviously you need a coach. The teams are getting bigger because we don’t have time to stay at home.
While the general trend is for group sizes to grow, every player has a different idea of how many people they like to travel with. Sorana Cirstea, who likes to keep a small circle, said: “For example, I really like to be alone. I am very social, but only for a while. Sometimes there are too many people and I feel There are so many opinions. I try to alternate it a little bit sometimes I don’t like having three or four people around because I feel like I have to take care of them a little bit.
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Azarenka, meanwhile, has now spent a large portion of her career as a mother, which requires coordinating her days traveling with her son Leo. “I have a kid, so it’s a little different,” she said. “I can’t say, ‘Well, you can’t come. There are too many credentials now. I think it depends. It might also depend on your mental state, and sometimes when you’re trying to regroup, you might need a little more space. .When you need more support, you need more people. So I think it depends on your personality and your personality. I think you’ll see ATP players traveling with more friends. Think girls like to be more professional and strict.
It doesn’t take much time in the player sections of tournaments around the world to understand the impact of these growing entourages. Not every game is designed to handle the number of people arriving each year. “In many Grand Slam tournaments, there are men, women, 128 people on both sides in the early rounds. This year it was almost impossible to get a treatment table in the first days of the French Open,” Fritz said.
Wimbledon director Jamie Baker, a former player, said there was no doubt players’ facilities today were much busier than they had been in decades past. “Occupancy did start to drop after the second round of singles,” he said, “but last year, I remember like it was yesterday, we had a lot of rain the first week of peak season. We’re currently in the beginning stages of expansion, So with our current footprint, our player facilities are absolutely crowded with people sitting on the floor and stuff like that because during our peak times, we’re not used to having everyone in there at the same time.
With so many certified personnel on site, the tournament also offers many interesting facilities for extra personnel, including a beauty salon and even a tattoo parlor at the French Open. Baker emphasized the importance of quiet zones, where players have more time to relax. At Wimbledon, most players are limited to three certifications for their team members, but seeded players and former champions receive additional certifications. There are also player-only areas where tournaments restrict access to certain team members or guests.
People are eager to expand the scale of large-scale events. The Australian Open’s court at Melbourne Park has been transformed over the past decade, and Roland Garros has expanded its venue to accommodate larger entourages and more fans. The All England Club is embarking on its own expansion plans in an attempt to free up more player area space and fit the world of tennis comfortably into its halls.
While the sport has changed in some ways, Azarenka still believes tennis still has a long way to go. “I think the science and data are still pretty behind compared to other sports,” she said. “Compared to golf, compared to football, compared to everything. I think in a way we are very conservative and very young. Teams are getting bigger, people are using more equipment, people are using more data. But the current level is quite low by comparison.
