Sergiy Stakhovsky revealed in the book “The Roger Federer Effect” that the Swiss tennis legend played a significant role in obtaining increases in prize money for players. In 2013, Stakhovsky stunned Federer at the All England Club.
At the time, both Stakhovsky and Federer were members of the ATP Player Council. The Roger Federer Effect, a book that was published by British writer Simon Cambers and Swiss writer Simon Graf, details the moment players secured a prize money boost at the Grand Slams in 2013.
This month, the ATP announced a record $37.5 million increase in prize money for 2023: the increase now brings total compensation to $217.9 million. “It was extremely good to have him because it is one thing to have a Sergiy Stakhovsky or a Gilles Simon on the Council, and another when you have Roger Federer.
The difference is big when he negotiates or presents a case. He was instrumental in raising prize money. We’ve been on this issue for a number of years, we’ve had a pretty rough time, and we had a really good, solid backlog of players who were willing to do something about it.
And yet, if it hadn’t been for Roger and Rafa [Nadal], I doubt we would have been able to push it. I remember Roger called us and told us that we had made the big [raise], and later we understood why we had made it. He got the deal because he said: ‘we can do the deal now, or you can go talk to Gilles Simon and Sergiy Stakhovsky’ It was kind of funny,” Stakhovsky told Simon Cambers and Simon Graf, as quoted by Tennis Majors.
Federer spent many childhood vacations in South Africa
Roger Federer won’t be skiing any time soon as his “knees are so-so”, but he is planning more adventurous holidays with his family and Africa is high on the to-do list.
Federer has hinted that he will have a farewell tour at some point – when the knee allows it of course – stating: “I know is I would love to go and play places I have never played before or go say thank you for years to come to all the people that have been so supportive of me.
I am still a little bit scared [when it comes other sports] right after retirement as my knee has been a little bit so-so and that [skiing] has to wait,” the former world No 1 said. “As time goes by I will be able to do more trips and we are always planning our vacations and I want them to be really fun.
They can become a little bit more creative. I would love to take my kids to Africa whereas before vacations always had to be relaxing because my life on the road was so busy, but now our vacations can be a bit more adventurous”.