US Open: Minella coach complains: “Money is important, but there must be limits”

Tim Sommer, coach and husband of Mandy Minella, about a US open trip full of uncertainties, the frustration about the behaviour of a colleague – and the bad image of the WTA.

For Luxembourg tennis player Mandy Minella, 32, the US Open 2018 was an eternal to and fro. She was on the replacement list for the main field, and when Romanian Mihaela Buzarnescu announced her US open-out via Twitter after a torn ribbon, Minella already thought she was in the tournament. Buzarnescu did not officially withdraw her announcement, however, but only cancelled her match shortly before the start of the match. The background: She collected 50 percent of the first round prize money, i.e. 27,000 US dollars – if she had withdrawn before the main draw, she would have gone away empty-handed. A loophole in the rules that urgently needs to be closed? For Tim Sommer, 37, it is above all a failure of the WTA.

Mr. Sommer, give us an overview: How have the last weeks around the US Open been for you?

We had initially planned for the qualification. Mandy was two places away from the main field, so it was unlikely that anything would happen – the prize money kept rising, so hardly anyone would cancel. She then had contact with Elena Vesnina, who told her that she would not play. When Mihaela Buzarnescu injured herself in Montréal and tweeted that she could not play the US Open because of a torn ligament and a double stretched ligament, we assumed that Mandy was in the main field. We rebooked the flights and flew to New Haven to train there and get some matches.

Have you officially secured the cancellation?

When we arrived in New Haven, she was still on the registration list. Thereupon I contacted the WTA. I was told that Buzarnescu was in New York and would try to get fit after all. She tweeted it, too. I asked a radiologist and our physiotherapist: Is it possible to play with a torn ligament and a double stretched ligament? No chance, it was said, it takes six to eight weeks until one can move normally again. I then approached the WTA again. I don’t think it’s right when a diagnosis is made and someone is knowingly injured in a field of participants.

How did the WTA react?

It was said that nothing could be done, it was in the hands of the American tennis federation, because the tournament took place in New York. I also reported the case to the Integrity Unit to put pressure on the WTA. And to make sure they make the situation clear to Mihaela: If she’d played, she’d have placed a dozen bets on her opponent. But nothing happened before the sign-in in the qualification. So Mandy could not participate in New Haven. We left for New York, had to pay all rebookings and play the US Open qualification two days in advance. Mandy lost round two there.

Optimal preparation looks different.

It wasn’t just us. Italian Anastasia Grymalska, who was at the top of the qualifying waiting list, had flown to New York when she read about Buzarnescu’s torn tapes. She didn’t qualify at all. We have now taken legal action with the WTA to at least recover the costs for New Haven. Finally, the WTA has published on its site that Buzarnsecu will not play. First of all: The article has been changed in the meantime, but the date has been kept. But I took a screenshot of the first version. However, it shows that you knew that you were not acting correctly.

In your opinion, what would have to change to prevent such a case from happening again?

The WTA would have to prescribe a medical check-up if an injury is known. Every young person in Germany who plays a prize money tournament has to do that. I think it is worth considering that a tennis professional cannot be called in for a medical examination. If one had said someone with a torn ligament: “Jump down from this chair – that would not have worked.

The unfortunate story about Buzarnescu went even further: she only withdrew shortly before her first-round game, which had further consequences.

Mona Barthel was the first lucky loser to be drawn. Finally, Buzarnescu cancelled their participation just two hours before the start of the game – Mona also had hardly any time to prepare. And there is something else: Even before the draw we got a call from the WTA tournament in Luxembourg. Mihaela’s manager had announced that she was so badly injured that she would not play at the US Open and would therefore have to play the premier event in Moscow during Luxembourg Week. So they knew before the draw that she wouldn’t play the US Open. She’s changed the whole draw with her behavior: Alizé Cornet would otherwise have sat down, played Marketa Vondrousova – and Mona Barthel against Johanna Larsson. Three to four days in advance. None of this is acceptable. The WTA and USTA must be able to prevent a player from performing this show in order to make a better impression in public.

We wanted to ask Mrs. Buzarnescu herself about her point of view – but after a short exchange with her management nobody wanted to say anything anymore. Did your wife have direct contact with her?

Mandy wrote her a message – that she understands everything, but is somewhere a limit. Also from personal experience: last year she was seven months pregnant and could also have entered the US Open, which she did not do. An e-mail came back from Mihaela saying how difficult her life had been and that she had already experienced similar situations. At least the latter is a fiction.

Mihaela Buzarenscu has been on the road as a tennis pro since 2004, but only cracked the Top 100 last year due to various injuries. Is it understandable that she wanted to take the 50 percent of the first round prize money with her? After all, we are talking about 27,000 US dollars here – and in the end it has not broken any rules.

They’re two different things. One is the Buzarnescu case – she has earned about $1 million this year and will receive bonus payments for the top 20. Do we have to take this $27,000 with us in this way? On the other hand, the 50 percent rule has been created for players who injure themselves during the last few days on site, become ill or do not know until the end whether they can compete. If you have structural damage and it is impossible to play, things have to be handled differently.

Presumably this is not an isolated case.

I’m sure not. Shelby Rogers marched into Wimbledon in 2015 against Andrea Petkovic with a torn inner ligament and a huge knee prosthesis. Mariana Duque Marino folded in the singles at the Australian Open 2016 and had to give up. She then walked on crutches across the facility until the day before the double. No one has prevented them from standing on top of it in doubles. If penalties were imposed or players were “hindered” from participating, the wrong players were hit. Polona Hercoq, for example, who gave up 1-0 in Melbourne in 2014, then received a penalty. Because she didn’t drag herself across the square for 40 minutes with a tape under painkillers? Johanna Larsson was banned by the tournament doctor in 2017 from going to the field with gastroenteritis in Australia. She didn’t get any prize money. But a Mrs Buzarnescu can announce two weeks before the tournament starts that she won’t play – and then marches home with $27,000 after having negatively influenced at least four other players.

Which brings us back to a medical check-up.

Then it would be fair. Ultimately, those who pull out before the tournament starts should even receive 100 percent of the prize money. This year again there were two matches at the women’s event in New York, which ended 0:6 0:6 and only lasted just over 40 minutes. I guess the ladies would have considered giving the seat to a lucky loser if they could have left with the full prize money. But of course, the other half of the $27,000 is also reluctant to be left behind. Especially the women’s Grand Slams pay significantly more money than WTA events. This money is so important, so I understand any player who wants it. But there must be limits.

What happens next? You’re about to file a lawsuit against the WTA.

We have contact to a sports lawyer in Orlando, who has been in contact with the American Tennis Federation before. Nor is it about Mrs Buzarnescu, she has ultimately acted in accordance with the rules and has only behaved in a morally questionable manner – she has to come to terms with that. But in my opinion, the WTA can’t make an official statement that Mihaela won’t play the US Open – and then pull out of responsibility. And that they are still trying to hide the facts by editing the article is all the more worrying. The least we could do would be to reimburse the costs we incurred around New Haven. How the tournament would have developed for Mandy if she had had one more week of preparation and matches on hard court, you won’t find out anymore. Mrs Buzarnescu’s stupidity and a very poor handling of the situation by the WTA has cost us a lot of time, energy and money. This should not happen again in the future.

The interview was conducted by Florian Goosmann.