Severe punishment vs warm emotional, how to deal with violence and uncivilized behavior on the tennis court?

When dealing with various social issues, we usually have two very different paths.

In the economic sphere, do you believe in the power of the government, or the power of the market? In politics, are you a leftist who promotes radical reforms, or a right that advocates moderate reforms? In terms of social management, are you in favor of building rationality or advocating spontaneous order? Do you think it is better to impose severe punishments for crimes, or is it better to have warm corrections and education?

Recently, the tennis world is facing a similar problem.

In an ITF junior competition in Ghana the other day, 15-year-old French teenager Michael Cumei lost to his opponent. After coming to the net to shake hands, Kumei quickly slapped the other party.

The video quickly spread online, sparking a series of discussions. People quickly think of several recent controversial incidents in the tennis world.

In Acapulco, Zverev smashed the referee's chair with his racket after a doubles match. In Indian Wells, Kyrgios nearly injured the caddie after losing to Nadal. In Miami, Kyrgios repeated the same trick, not only smashing the racket, but also loudly insulting the referee.

Going back further, Djokovic accidentally hit the line in the throat with a tennis ball at the 2020 US Open and threw his racket into the audience at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.

On the tennis court, venting anger with a racket seems to have become a habit for many players. For example, Medvedev, Fognini, Parret and others have repeatedly lost control of their emotions and smashed their rackets.

Even Federer, who is highly imaged and popular, has also had reckless behaviors such as smashing rackets and deliberately hitting tennis balls into the audience. Of all the well-known players, probably only Nadal has never dropped a racket.

For player violations, ATP has always been "law-abiding". Zverev, who smashed the referee's chair, was fined and banned for eight weeks, Kyrgios, who smashed the racket and insulted the referee, was fined points, 1 set and fined, and Djokovic, who was injured on the line trial, was expelled from the game. As long as the racket is smashed, no one escapes the punishment of being warned.

But can these disciplines deter such acts? Or, under the principle of "breaking the law must be investigated", are there fewer or more violent acts such as smashing rackets and insulting referees?

Judging by what has happened on the field recently, the answer is already obvious. Tickets issued by ATPs and tournaments are becoming more frequent and heavier.

The problem is that these disciplinary measures have not had a deterrent effect on the players. Players can turn a deaf ear to warnings, and fines of tens of thousands of dollars are just a drizzle for these million-dollar players. Even if Zverev was punished with an eight-week ban, it was suspended, and he actually escaped punishment.

Why is this happening?

Some commentators believe that this is because the players, atps and the tournament are essentially partners. Half of the SHARES of the ATP belong to the players, who not only enjoy dividends from the ATP proceeds, but also earn prize money from the tournament side and endorsement fees from sponsors. ATPs need to make money, and events need to sell tickets and pull sponsorships. And all this is inseparable from the game, especially the participation of big players.

Therefore, for the violations of players, the current situation is that "there are laws to follow, laws to follow, and violations of the law to be investigated", but obviously not to achieve "strict law enforcement". In the face of rising violence and incivility, ATP Chairman Goldenz has warned players that things cannot continue as they are now.

Goldenz exhorted the players, saying they "all have a responsibility to uphold the reputation and integrity of tennis." In the first three months of the season, vicious incidents involving unsportsmanlike conduct have been unusually frequent. This behavior affects everyone, and it sends the wrong message to our fans, especially young fans. ”

"In the following clay season, the ATP referee team will take a more rigorous stance in judging violations of the norms. In addition, we will review rules and discipline procedures to ensure that appropriate and new penalties are imposed on serious violations and repeat offenders. Goldenz added in an interview with Reuters.

It is clear that the ATP has a "strict" attitude towards this matter, expecting to stop violence and uncivilized behavior by enacting harsher disciplinary measures and imposing greater penalties.

As the saying goes, "Strict father and mother". Compared with Goldenz's stern attitude, WTA's first world number one and 18 Grand Slam champion Evert has a much milder attitude and highlights the spirit of humanistic care.

"I don't label the players, but it's a worrying phenomenon. Why would a player lose control and smash the racket and put others in danger? Evert told European sports reporters, "Why are they having an emotional breakdown on the pitch? This is a problem that needs to be addressed, and it is also something that needs to be seriously discussed. Tennis is just one sport, not all of life. ”

Former world no. 1 and two-time Australian Open champion Azarenka, who retired halfway through Miami, said she should not have come to the tournament because her personal life had been "stressful" in recent weeks.

Last year, four Grand Slam winner Naomi Osaka withdrew from the French Open and Wimbledon, which made more people pay attention to the mental health of players. During the Miami Open, Kyrgios said Naomi Osaka gave him some help and advice after making his mental health problems public. Unexpectedly, the bad boy with a bad track record has also suffered from psychological problems, and even had suicidal thoughts during the "darkest" period around the 2019 Australian Open.

Naomi Osaka and Kyrgios both chose to open up and seek help from psychologists after developing mental health problems. Swataker said she realized the importance of mental health early on, working with psychologists while playing youth games.

At the age of 18, Swatek won the French Open, and the pressure and challenges followed. Now, two years later, Swatak has climbed to the top of the world, and she admits that the psychologists on her team have made her stronger.

Evert commented: "I've noticed that a lot of women players have sports psychologists on their teams, and this is becoming more and more common now. I think that's good because psychologists can help them solve their psychological problems in a timely manner. ”

As an 18-time Grand Slam champion, Evert believes that life is not easy for top players, and they face greater psychological pressure than the average person. When they make mistakes, punishment is important, but it is equally important to analyze the reasons behind the mistakes and then help them in time.

Thankfully, many of the current tours are staffed with counselling specialists and things are moving in a good direction. (Source: Tennis House Author: Yun Cirrus Yunshu)