The Strange Saga of Monique and the Donald

Monique Viele–forgotten now but the focus of a unique situation then.

I’ve been fortunate to be around a lot of great athletes in every sport and know why they become very marketable. People have to understand a lot of times companies and manufacturers do things on your ability or your potential.

They try to project and they want to get that relationship with you early on. You’ve either got to be very successful in the juniors or do something way out of the box so that they see a lot of potential.

Some of these kids who have played up in their age groups and had success give you a little bit of a snapshot. It’s a feeling of, okay, I think they have a chance to do well in the pros or be one of the best juniors in the United States or the world, and that can give other people an idea. But when it’s all said and done there’s no crystal ball and there’s no guarantee.

Yet a player like Venus Williams gets a $12 million deal, $2.5 million a year from Reebok at age 15 and she only has to play three tournaments a year. People…