WIMBLEDON MONEY ROW

Harry Peart z Londýna: It stunned the chairmen of the four Grand Slam championships with a demand for additional payments totalling 50 million dollars. The largest portion would go into the players' pockets, but the package included payments into a players' pension account, better promotional activities, a bonus for players who compete in all four Grand Slams and a donation to selected charities. The ATP wants at least 30 percent of the profits in prize money. The Grand Slam chairmen have rejected the demand and re-affirmed its rights to determine the levels of compensation. Most of the profits are used to promote tennis at the grass roots. The Grand Slam Committee can also point to the fact that the French Open paid almost 8 percent more in prize money this year for the men's singles event while the Wimbledon increase is almost 10 percent at a time when television revenues are falling. VOCABULARYto stun - šokovat, ohromit Grand Slam - Wimbledon, Paříž, Austrálie a US Open goes into the players' pockets - jde do kapes hráčů payments into a players' pension account - platby do penzijních fondů hráčů package - "balík či balíček" to reaffirm - znovu potvrdit, znovu připomenout at the grass roots - řadoví občané, narozdíl od funkcionářů television revenues - zisk z televizních přenosů