New York, Apr 8 (IANS): Serena Williams' coach Patrick Mouratoglou slammed tennis administrators for not giving enough assistance to lower ranked players. The tennis season has been on hold since March due to the coronavirus pandemic and with no matches or tournaments to play, earnings have dried up for those players who don't have the cushion of earnings from sponsorships.

"Unlike basketball or football players, tennis players aren't covered by fixed annual salaries. They're independent contractors," said Mouratoglou in a statement that he tweeted.

"They're paying for their travels. They're paying fixed salaries to their coaching staffs, while their own salaries depend on the number of matches they win.

"I find it revolting that the 100th-best player of one of the most popular sports in the world -- followed by an estimated one billion fans -- is barely able to make a living out of it,"

Mouratoglou said that the current break is a chance to start a conversation on the topic.

"We all rely on those governing bodies, who have the power to protect the professional tennis economy and hold social responsibility," he said.

"We can't leave lower-ranked players behind anymore. This isn't right. Tennis needs change. Let's use this free time to start a discussion."