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Professional courtesy Stevenson eligible to receive Wimbledon prize money
Posted: Monday June 28, 1999 06:55 PM
WIMBLEDON, England (AP) -- Alexandra Stevenson will get her Wimbledon prize money. The WTA Tour initially ruled the 18-year-old American entered as an amateur and was ineligible for prize money. But Wimbledon officials overruled on Monday, saying she is a professional and entitled to her winnings. The player's mother, Samantha Stevenson, had threatened to sue. WTA and Grand Slam rules state that a player who begins the "first match as an amateur may not receive prize money during that tournament." However, Wimbledon said its guidelines assume all players are professionals unless the tournament is notified otherwise. Stevenson is guaranteed $42,340 for reaching a fourth-round match with fellow American Lisa Raymond. That match was rained out Monday. If she beats Raymond and reaches the quarterfinals she's guaranteed $79,442. "Since Alexandra Stevenson did not register as an amateur for this event, we have assumed all along that she has been playing as a professional an is fully entitled to receive the prize money," Wimbledon chief executive Christopher Gorringe said. Samantha Stevenson had cited the Wimbledon guidlines in making her case. The 18-year-old player has had a dramatic debut at Wimbledon. She is one of a record-three unseeded women to reach the fourth round, joining two 16-year-old players -- Jelena Dokic and Kim Clijsters. Stevenson and her mother declined to be interviewed on Monday. Samantha Stevenson would not elaborate on her charges of racism on the WTA Tour and her fears that her daughter faces sexual advances from female players. Coach Craig Kardon refused to answer questions. When the player and daughter were approached, Kardon said, "Don't even think about it." Stevenson's mother, who is white, said an unidentified player at a recent tournament directed a racial slur at her daughter, whose father is black. Samantha Stevenson, a free-lance sports writer who works for The New York Times and other publications, is angered at the conduct of players and officials on the WTA Tour. "They act like a bunch of girls in high school," she said at an informal gathering of reporters last weekend. She said the treatment of Venus and Serena Williams when they first joined the tour was "definite racism." "Is it big? No. Is it subtle? Yes. You can't explain racism, you have to be there to understand it," she said. Replied WTA Tour chief executive Bart McGuire: "The WTA Tour is made up of players from a myriad of ethnic, cultural and racial backgrounds. "That being said, we are disappointed that their assertions have been made to the press and not the tour. If any assertions of racism are presented to the tour, we will look into them." Samantha Stevenson also said she never leaves Alexandra alone in the locker room because she wants to protect her from what she says is rampant jealousy and lesbian innuendo. "It's an absolute jungle," she said. "A big, bad place. It just isn't a normal place for a young girl. As her mother, I want to make sure she's OK. But the biggest threats to girls of her age are the other girls on the tour. "When she goes into the locker room, she looks for me," she added. "She's a real teen-ager and I'm not going to let anything happen to her. If girls like her don't have a support team, they can be led down the wrong path."
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