Joined: 29. April 2008
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|27. April 2024| 08:25
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Hello, Madrid Open! At the tournament, Hantuchová should improve relations between the players, the organizer and the mediaThe former world number five in tennis Daniela "Dani" Hantuchová has fully scored in the world of television commentary after the end of her playing career. She analyzed the matches of the biggest stars for Fox, BBC, ESPN and Amazon Prime, conducted interviews (and not only) with tennis legends. This year, another task has been added to her - for the first time at the tournament in Madrid, she is in charge of the women's part and in it improving relations between the players, the organizer, the media and the fans. The last time she gave an interview to Forbes was eight years ago, almost a year before she officially ended her career as a tennis player. Since then, a lot has happened in her professional life, you have become a commentator for major TV brands. "I think the time when I decided to leave was ideal. My transition between careers was very fluid and symbolic. "The day I ended my playing career, I immediately went to the studio and tried it 'from the other side,'" she recalls now. She commented for Fox Sports, Amazon Prime, as well as the BBC and sports ESPN, and also started her own podcast The Real DNA. This year, she has a new managerial role at the Madrid Open tournament, which takes place in the Spanish capital at the turn of April and May. However, she certainly does not stop with commenting. Your role at the Madrid Open marks another career shift. How did this happen? It was spontaneous. I know Gerard (Tsobanian, editor's note) very well, one of the main organizers of this tournament. He gave me a card for my last tournament, which I still had to play, after I already had a broken rib.
He is the agent of many players, we have known each other for many years. Last year we met by chance and we talked about the fact that the women's part of this tournament is visibly lower than the men's part. The fans like to come to see the home favorites, but Madrid has a problem attracting tennis as such. Already in that first interview, he asked me what I thought could be better.
Therefore, I was put in charge of the women's part. My task is to improve the relations between the players, the organizer, the media and the fans. It's great that I'm already using my experience from television here. I will try to explain to the players what is good not only for the tournament, but also for them when communicating with the media. Each of them is basically a personal brand and it is also in their interest to represent not only the tournament but also themselves as best as possible.In addition to organizing the Madrid Open, will you continue to commentate? In Madrid, of course, not, but otherwise yes, but since today I can choose, much less. When I was commentating for Amazon, I traveled just as much and often as I did when I was playing, but one of the reasons I ended my gaming career was so I wouldn't have to travel as much anymore. Now, fortunately, I have the freedom to choose when and why I get on a plane.
This year I was already commenting on the Australian Open, the first time for ESPN. I would never have said that such an offer would come. ESPN is one of the most prestigious in the world of commentary. Also because they do relatively little in tennis - only the Australian Open, Wimbledon and the US Open. In addition, I will be commentating Roland Garros and Wimbledon for the BBC this year.How to talk to female playersWhat exactly will be your role in Madrid? I will make sure that the players feel as good as possible at the tournament, I will try to meet their requirements. We talk a lot about what kind of program they should have during the tournament. For example, Iga Świątek once played a match until two in the morning, and others scheduled it for the morning.
For me, as a former player, it is understandable that she wants to change, because I know how important it is to work in one mode. These are details that the WTA sometimes doesn't realize when organizing such a big tournament, but they are very important for the players.
I will work with players, coaches and agents. We are already talking a lot about what the Madrid Open could improve from the point of view of the players. At the same time, we also talk a lot about what we need from the players in relation to the media. Helping them get their bearings is also one of my most important tasks.
On the one hand, I understand that in the tournament effort, one does not have time to think about, for example, how one looks. I was the same myself. No one expects them to put on makeup for an hour before interviews, but in addition to the tournament, they also present themselves there. For example, many of them have the ambition to be on the cover of Vogue and don't realize that it starts with post-match interviews.Where does the viewer notice the changes you initiated? You will see the changes already at the opening of the tournament, for example. We want to show Madrid, because it is the city of fashion. I would like the Madrid Open to become the most elegant European tournament. It's a challenge for me, because it's the biggest tournament in Europe after the Grand Slams. I'll be groping around, finding out what I can and can't do.In the media and on the networksWhen you compare the attitude of female players when you started your career to now, how has it changed? I would like to avoid generalizations, but first of all, the world of tennis is at a higher and more professional level. Sometimes I think it's a bit too much. The female players have entire teams, similar to Formula 1. Each has its own physiotherapist, fitness trainer, nutritionist... On the one hand, it's amazingly professional, but then it spoils the female players a bit unnecessarily.
They are sometimes a little ungrateful for the high rewards they receive for winnings today and the top service they have at tournaments. They often complain about food, for example. Then I just laughingly state that they should see what we ate at the tournaments...
Unfortunately, social networks do not help with this. I understand that the WTA also has many problems and should change some things. As gamers, we have always been frustrated, but it is never a good idea to vent your dissatisfaction publicly, on social networks. This happened, for example, last year in Mexico in the WTA finals.
Granted, it was last minute and the court was in terrible shape, I understand the frustration, but I always stress to the players not to take it out. They often do not realize that with frustrated statuses and comments they are also harming themselves and discouraging sponsors, for example, while they want more and more money for winnings. Sure, if something is wrong, go to the organizer's office, complain, but leave it behind closed doors. It is normal.
They often don't even realize how much influence sponsorship meetings have on their income, that is the time when they should try to present themselves as best as possible. Sometimes one coffee, a nice meeting is enough and the sponsor immediately signs the contract for the next five years. Sharapova was very good at this. She didn't normally greet anyone, but once the sponsors arrived, they found her to be absolutely charming. She really knew how to sell herself.When you explain it to the players like this, do they accept it? Yes, that's why they hired me at the Madrid Open, because I can afford to tell them. Also because I was once just as stubborn and determined. However, when it snowed in Berlin in April before the tournament, I didn't start filming it, saying that I definitely wouldn't play here because it was snowing.
Or when the clay was so soft in the spring that we dug into it, I didn't go to take pictures and publicly scold the organizers. As a former player, I can tell them that we are in the same boat. I try to be nice to them as much as possible, but some things need to be said more sharply. Last year, the media mentioned your statement that young players today are spoiled. You appealed to them to realize how they are paid in the WTA circuit, that they "don't work from four in the morning in the mines". You were also criticized for this statement, because according to some, you did not support the effort to bring male and female tennis players to the same salary level. That is very general. I don't know how it was presented in the media, because I don't read articles about myself, but at tournaments people used to tell me that finally someone said it out loud. The truth is that salary equality between male and female tennis players is already almost everywhere.
The problem is that young tennis players want more and more, but when they have to do something extra besides playing tennis, they argue about mental health. I think twenty minutes in the post-game presser with the media is really not something they can't handle.Is it a generational change? Yes, I think social networks play a big part in it, but the background also has a strong influence. If I behaved like some of them, they would definitely tell me at home: 'Hello, you lack humility.' And also gratitude. Today they want more and more, but the question is whether their attitude would change if they received not ten but twenty million for winning the tournament. I do not think so.Does the part of the world or environment they come from affect the behavior of female players? That's a good question, I've never thought about it, but I think the environment a person comes from will always affect them. I lived with my parents in Petržalka, we had a Škoda and I always valued things very much, and I can still value them to this day. Atleast I hope so. And will I get ten or twenty million for the win?
I think it's more about the internal setup. For example, Jessica Pegula is amazingly humble, and that comes from a billionaire family. In addition to parents, coaches and agents also have a huge influence on female players. Sure, it's easy to get lost in it all. Tennis players and athletes in general must have the attitude that they want more and more, because that drives them to achieve results, but even that has its limits.Do female players today have more media and sponsorship obligations than you did at the beginning of your career? I do not think so. It was always difficult, but it has changed that thanks to social networks they have the opportunity to graduate themselves. This ultimately affects the quality of tennis. When we wanted to have television attention and attract sponsors, we had to win matches.
Today, players only need to win one major tournament and they already have thousands of followers, thanks to that they get sponsors and then they feel that they don't need to win anymore. The consistency of their tennis results is disappearing. However, we should respect, for example, Świątek and Sabalenka all the more, who, despite these circumstances, keep stable results. Hats off to them.You can read more about Daniela Hantuchová's experience in commentating, what the interviews were like with Andy Murray, Kobe Bryant, but also Milan Lasic, what made her interested in Melinda French Gates or about longevity and her views on sportswashing in the April issue of Forbes magazine. @ google translate
Daniela Hantuchova is right about everything.
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