Yayuk Basuki's Story: The Journey Of The Indonesian Tennis Queen Is Successful Without Government Assistance

Former Indonesian tennis player Yayuk Basuki was present and watched the Rajawali Women's Tennis Open 2022 tournament at the Sultan Hotel Tennis Field, Jakarta, Thursday (1/12/2022). (ANTARA/Muhammad Ramdan)

JAKARTA - Yayuk Basuki's existence in the world of tennis is unquestionable. He was once an Indonesian tennis player who penetrated the world's leading championship level. However, this achievement was not easily obtained. He had difficulty funding when he did not have sponsorships to compete abroad.

Yayuk harus menutuskan dengan dana pribadi, dari biaya perjalanan dan hotel. Semuaya hampir tanpa bantuan pemerintah. Apalagi, perhatian pemerintah ke olahraga tenis sangat kurang. Bonusnya saja sedikit.

The lack of attention from the government to the world of tennis is not a new story. The story continues to occur repeatedly. This condition is because the government has a lot of focus. Like it or not, the government's attention is limited to sports that have the potential to contribute to victory: badminton.

Yayuk Basuki felt this condition. The woman who was born in Yogyakarta on November 30, 1970 saw for herself how the Indonesian tennis world was like an onion child. Not many badminton athletes have successfully penetrated the world's leading championships.

The narrative then became Yayuk's motivation to bring the name Indonesian tennis to the world. He realized the government could not be relied on. He chose the path to struggle alone with the support of his family. He always maximizes the existing potential.

The sponsorship funds are always used optimally. However, the tennis world cannot fully rely on sponsorship funds. Sometimes sponsors come and go at will. This condition makes Yayuk have to bear everything himself. Moreover, in the 1990s.

At that time Yayuk was shining. She became a member of the Women's Tennis Association (WTA). This means that Yayuk has an obligation to participate in competitions held by WTA in various countries. Yayuk must make the right use of funds from his personal pocket so that he can keep participating, from savings to winning prizes.

Again without the help of the government. However, it was filled with victory after victory that Yayuk won. He had shined at three Asian Games -- 1986, 1990, and 1998. He was also able to penetrate the ranks of 18 women's tennis worlds in 1997.

Every year, he chooses international matches that he will participate in. As a member of the WTA, he has the obligation to participate in several WTA matches. Because, if he doesn't play in several tournaments, he will be penalized. For every tournament he participates in, he spends his own money because he no longer has sponsors, including for travel costs and hotels.

A year, at least Yayuk admits that he has to spend 100 thousand US dollars for himself and his husband. The presence of Hery in every match is also needed by Yayuk to evaluate every match that he will and has undertaken. The result is not disappointing. In the second year he entered the pro world, he won the WTA tournament in Pattaya City and reached the third round at the grand slam Wimbledon, England," said Rustam F. Mandayun and Anda Karina Anom Tempo magazine entitled Sayonara from Yayuk Basuki (1999).

Yayuk's big name in the tennis world did not make the way easier. Yayuk continues to try to stand on his own feet. Indeed Yayuk has repeatedly declared retirement. However, he continued to come back again because the Indonesian tennis world needed an example of a successful figure, even though he was no longer young.

The return momentum is not easy. Yayuk can only rely on himself and his family. Take for example when Yayuk started active again participating in tennis competitions in 2008. It seemed to start everything from scratch, including ranking matters.

This condition made Yayuk remove funds from a small private pocket. He even sold his car to be able to participate in tennis competitions abroad. Aid from the government is almost non-existent. There are minimal bonuses from the government.

Finally, he got a bonus when he won the Asian Games. The amount is only IDR 500 thousand and thanks. However, in the 1990 Asian Games it rose to IDR 1 million. There are bonuses of up to hundreds of millions or billions to support tennis life.

Yayuk Basuki himself does not question bonus matters. He sometimes also said that bonuses like poison can be quickly satisfied. He prefers to consider his struggle as a form of dedication to the nation and state. He also hopes that the Indonesian government will care more about the sport of tennis.

Married to enter the tournament is to boost the ranking. Big funds have come out of personal pocket. Training, transportation, accommodation while participating in the tournament, nothing is free. He even sold his favorite New CRV car that had flown away.

"But it's not regretted. Following many tournaments, it will hone its skills more. In addition, later "modal" can return if there are sponsors or if they manage to win in a tournament with big prizes," said Harun Mahbub in his writing in Tempo magazine entitled Kembali dan Masih Bertaji (2009).