Article

  • Ballkids cop it as Australian Open cuts back on lunch

    10/10/08 11:01 AM | Johan Lindahl
    - Teenaged ballkids will be helping to pay the price after the Australian Open handed over an 18 percent prize money increase to players.

    Reports in local media suggest that the youngster will forfeit their pay of $30 per day, to be replaced by "gift packs" from sponsors.

    Tennis Australia has been fighting financial gravity by upping the ante as it hands over more money to the player field. But cuts will come somewhere and the youngsters look to be the first to feel the pain in an imploding current world economy.

    The "gift pack" could well include the likes of shampoo and sunscreen, but is unlikely to include any IBM personal computers of a loan from a financial services sponsor - or even a car from title sponsor Kia.

    A meager $14 allowance for food has been pared to the bone at $5.60, though a lunch pack will be included, according to financial officials struggling to balance the books for the January tennis major.

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Comments

That's just great. And why, precisely, did the AO need to up the prize money that much? It's not like the players are going to skip a slam.

cherylmurray , 10/10/08 3:12 PM



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