In tennis, there are tournaments every week. If a player does well in one week and reaches the later stages of the tournament, they have to quickly move on to the next tournament. To help players rest and perform their best, the WTA introduced something called a “Performance Bye.”

A Performance Bye is not like a regular bye because it’s based on how well a player did in the previous week, not their ranking. The regular byes usually go to the top 4 seeded players in the tournament, depending on how many players are in the draw.

Some top players are worried that the Performance Bye isn’t fair. It might not help players who have been doing well all year. For example, a player could do really well in a less important tournament and still get a bye in a bigger tournament. However, a few players like Iga Swiatek support the Performance Bye rule because it gives players a chance to rest and avoid getting hurt.

Performance bye is a rule change the WTA is trying this year. The WTA could change the rule depending on the feedback it receives from players.

Australian tennis player Marc Polmans was born in South Africa. As a junior, he won the 2015 Australian Open doubles title with fellow Aussie  Jake Delaney.

After turning pro, he found success in doubles. At the 2017 Australian Open, he reached the semifinals with partner Andrew Whittington. In 2018, Polmans won his first Challenger title.

At the 2023 Shanghai Open, he was disqualified in the qualifying rounds after he accidentally hit an umpire. His sponsors are Lacoste and Tecnifibre. He has earned $2 million in his career. 

Marc Polman’s Sponsors

Lacoste

Polmans has a clothing sponsorship contract with Lacoste

Tecnifibre

He has a sponsorship deal with Tecnifibre raquets.