Surbiton_Trophy_Programme_2017

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different eras Prize money Since he turned professional in 1998, Roger Federer has won over US$104 million in prize money and much, much more in endorsements and sponsorship. Forbes magazine estimates that in 2016 alone he banked $60 million thanks to various deals with Nike, Rolex, Wilson, Mercedes- Benz, Moet & Chandon, Netjets, Lindt and Credit Suisse. Compare that to Rod Laver who won all four Grand Slams in 1962 and, for his efforts, received total prize money of exactly… zero. Yes, zero, because it was before the arrival of professional tennis. In 1947, after reaching the final of the Wimbledon doubles, Mottram was awarded a £10 Harrods gift voucher. “But you had to spend it on sports clothing or luxury goods,” he remembers. “You couldn’t buy food with it.” For her two victories in the British Championships, Hughesman received a £5 gift voucher each time. “It was redeemable in several shops,” she says. “Sometimes tournaments would give us money to pay hotel bills. So we’d stay in really small hotels and keep the spare money.” Anti-doping Last year the International Tennis Federation carried out just under 5,000 anti-doping tests, around 2,600 of them on urine and 2,300 on blood. But drug testing didn’t exist in tennis until 1993. Back in the 1940s, the only illegal substances players had to worry about was when they tried to get through customs with an extra bottle of booze and more than their allocated amount of Golden Virginia. Diet and drink Glycogen stores, vitamin supplements, amino acids, glycaemic indices, protein shakes, urine colour charts… modern athletes take sports nutrition more seriously than ever before. Rewind the clock to the years after World War II, however, and rationing in Britain was so tight that athletes would happily eat anything they could get their hands on. “It was a question of getting what “We left Heathrow on a Stratocruiser. It was two hours to Gander in Ireland; 11 to Halifax in Newfoundland; and another six and a half hours to New York.” 1947 Wimbledon doubles finalist Tony Mottram food was available,” says Mottram. “There was still rationing into the 1950s. It was very plain food. In the 1940s the Americans used to bring their own steaks over because you couldn’t get them here then. They’d put the meat in the deep freeze at the hotel.” Hydration during play was barely a consideration. “It was considered bad if you drank water during matches because it might give you a stitch,” explains Mottram. “All we did was wet our mouths with a tiny bit of water. Our Davis Cup captain was a qualified doctor and we never questioned that.” Travel The carbon footprint of professional tennis is enormous. With the ATP and WTA staging almost 130 main-tour tournaments on six continents, it’s impossible for players not to rack up the air miles. “By the end of your career you’ve lost thousands and thousands of days of your life travelling,” Spanish player Tommy Robredo once said. 22 Aegon surbiton trophy 2017
“I lived three miles away from our courts and I used to walk or run there every day. That kept me fit.” 1949 & 1950 British champion Joan Hughesman Marat Safin In the era before commercial jets, travelling to tournaments took even longer. In the 1940s, for example, if a British player wanted to compete in the Australian Open, that required a five-week boat trip. “In 1948 I was a member of the first team to fly the Atlantic to play in the States,” Mottram remembers. “We left Heathrow on a Stratocruiser. It was two hours to Gander in Ireland; 11 to Halifax in Newfoundland; and another six and a half hours to New York.” Hughesman remembers how, in her day, the Australian Champion didn’t come over to Europe “because she couldn’t afford the boat fare”. Media commitments Compulsory press conferences, photo shoots, magazine interviews, TV appearances, radio broadcasts, websites, social media… modern players can’t pick their noses without it being reported worldwide. Back in the amateur days, though, all that was required was a quick chat with a couple of newspaper reporters. “Everyone would use the clubhouse facilities so the media would just go up to players and ask questions,” Hughesman explains. “There were no organised press conferences.” To help pay his travel expenses, Tony Mottram even became a tennis correspondent himself. “After matches I was up ‘til midnight most nights typing away on a portable typewriter. But you weren’t allowed to write about a tournament when you were still in it.” Equipment Modern pros regularly walk onto court with six or eight rackets in their bag, in case of multiple string breaks. And you can guarantee they’re being paid handsomely to use them. Russian player Marat Safin had such a good relationship with his racket sponsor that they didn’t mind the fact that he smashed almost 100 of them every year in anger. Compare this to the situation in the 1940s. “Rackets were like gold dust after the War.” Mottram remembers. “I originally had a deal with Dunlop where they charged me £10 a season for rackets and restrings. But once I’d played at Wimbledon I got them free.” Clothing The world’s top tennis clothing manufacturers pay millions for players to be their clothes horses. Not surprising when you think how many hours they appear on TV sporting logos from head to toe. No such sponsorship back in the 1940s when players were very much left to their own devices. After the War, Mottram persuaded a friend who was flying freight to India to buy plimsolls from a market stall there. “They were a bit too big and really flimsy, but I used them at Wimbledon because I didn’t have anything else. The soles were completely smooth – great on grass when it was dry but if there was the slightest bit of moisture you’d slip.” During matches he wore his old gym vests and shorts from his days in the RAF. “We looked a real motley lot.” Hughesman remembers how sports clothing was so scarce that, early in her career, she had to make her own. In memory of Tony Mottram, the 1947 Wimbledon doubles finalist, who sadly passed away last year at the age of 96. www.LTA.org.uk/aegonsurbitontrophy @SurbitonTrophy 23
Page 1 and 2: 3 - 11 JUNE Surbiton Racket & Fitne
Page 3 and 4: A warm welcome to the Aegon Surbito
Page 5 and 6: Charlotte Cooper Sterry Charlotte C
Page 7 and 8: Roger Taylor Helen Wills Moody 1950
Page 9 and 10: Wesley Moodie after her triumph at
Page 11 and 12: crosshead NEW BRITISH TENNIS TEAM M
Page 13 and 14: An aerial drone captures images of
Page 15 and 16: Left: Hawk-Eye. Below: a virtual re
Page 17 and 18: Office team and Surrey Tennis counc
Page 19 and 20: that have played here are Fred Perr
Page 21: “In the 1940s the Americans used
Page 25 and 26: Summer Home of the Tennis Camps 201
Page 27 and 28: crosshead www.LTA.org.uk/aegonsurbi

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