Rohan Bopanna y Nadia Kichenok They are late for class. They have encountered a traffic jam when leaving the Magic box. The first, which last season became the number one of the most veteran tennis in history (he succeeded with 43 years), has won 26 titles as a double; The second, also a double specialist, adds nine. The two dispute the MASTERS 1,000 from Madrid. Between training, however, the rackets and balls change for books. To counterreloj, after sweating on the clay of the capital, they shower, change and set up to the building of LaLiga Business Schoolwhere awaits them AS And where, after the interviews, the elbows have to seize in the ATP & LALIGA Business Education Programmea master who intends to introduce them to the business part of the sport.
“It is a program that is coorganized between LaLiga and the ATPthis year also with players from the WTAwhich aims to help tennis players for when they finish their careers. The work life of an athlete is very special, because it is very successful, but also very short, and then another life awaits them, that we must organize. There is a cliff“, Explains the director The LaLiga Business School, José Moyain conversation with this newspaper. “They have a totally different, privileged vision of the sports industry. There is a very large value in which the jacket is changed and, at the end of their careers, they become sports managers. Institutions cannot afford talent escapeof all that internal knowledge, ”he adds on the reason for being of a program that, in its third edition (ended on April 25), has developed between Miami y Madrid.
Bopanna and Kichenak have been two of the students. It shows in your way of speaking. They have the lesson learned. The first, An absolute star in India (126,000 followers on Instagram), until he goes to a business metaphor when asked about a possible withdrawal. “It’s like being in a company. You grow and one day you become the CEO. Today, I feel like the CEO of my own company. You never ask a CEO when it ends. You don’t know. I am enjoying competing. As long as I continue and continue winning the best … ”, he replies to his 45 years. Despite this, he thinks about his path after tennis. He has been building it for some time.“ I started in the program to meet expert people in the business world. I, in India, already have My Tennis Academy y A sports marketing agency in which we have about 100 employees, ”he reveals.
The dangers when leaving “the bubble”
From his experience, because he has had time to witness several cases, Bopanna The dangers is clear of a career end without new labor motivations. “We know that there are many broken toys. Athletes who finish their career and They go bankrupteven worse cases of alcoholismof drugetc. This program is aimed at avoiding types of situations, ”explains Moya. There are several studies that support their words. In 2009, Sports Illustrated published an article in which it stated that 60% of NBA players and 78% of the NFL They declared bankruptcy within five years after their withdrawal. And not everything is limited to the economic. In 2015, the International Federation of Professional Footballers (FIFPRO) He published a study indicating that 35% of retired soccer players had suffered depression or anxiety in the four weeks prior to research.
“We are used to having a routine every day, knowing when our training is, when our party is, the recovery time … We are like robots, we have everything scheduled. Suddenly, all that ends. Formation allows you to get out of that bubble and understand the outside world, allows you beyond tennis and your room, ”Bopanna develops. also a relevance figure in your country (50.6 thousand followers on Instagram), Ukraine, matches the millimeter with his sport and classes. “The withdrawal presents many difficulties. There comes a time when you don’t know what to do. In your life, there was always a schedule to meet and, at one point, you feel a void, ”he adds.
Like Bopanna, Kichenak does not think about the withdrawal. At 32, he also does not have it as prepared as the Indian, but he wants to give “opportunities” to face the moment safely. “I want to try different things from tennis. See what I like and what not. Right now, I don’t set limits,” explains the Ukrainian. In it ATP & LALIGA Business Education Programme, Which is also part of Paula Badosa and Jaume Munar, has had the opportunity to enter matters such as leadership, event management, marketing, artificial intelligence or sports broadcasts. “We try to play All sport management legs. The athletes reach us with fears of all kinds, not only to lose money, but also with many grains to learn and, some, with their projects started or in the head, ”details the director of the educational project. In their classrooms, athletes come in and people prepared for“ the other life ”.
Your opinions matter! Comment on the articles and subscribe for free to our newsletter and informative alerts in the App or the channel of WhatsApp. Are you looking to license content? Click here
