LONDON – Doubles players fear for their future in tennis after being told by the ATP Tour that prize money and tournament sizes will decline significantly from 2028.
A group of leading doubles players issued a statement on Friday saying they were not a “carnival sideshow” and that it would be impossible for anyone outside the top 30 of the ATP doubles rankings to earn a living if the new proposals were adopted.
The statement comes after doubles players met with ATP officials at Wimbledon this week to discuss the future of a format that is struggling to attract an audience.
“The ATP proposes to shorten the draws in doubles, eliminate prize money in doubles and give access to the Challenger to singles players, ahead of specialists who have built their careers in this discipline,” the players said in the statement.
They said the proposal would give doubles players just 10 percent of the prize money at ATP tournaments – instead of 20 percent – while halving the size of doubles courts.
At the major Masters tournaments, this would reduce the doubles draw to 16 teams, while at the smaller ATP 500 and 250 events it would only consist of eight teams.
“Do the math on what this means for anyone outside the top 30: it will be impossible to make a living,” the statement continued.
“This is not a minor adjustment. It is a plan disguised as a cost-saving measure to end dual sport as a viable profession – and it is being pushed through with almost no transparency and almost no consultation with the players whose careers and livelihoods are at stake.”
Asked about the statement, the ATP Tour said it was “evaluating the doubles product, draw sizes and distribution of player compensation with the aim of creating a more sustainable long-term model while maintaining the important role of doubles on the tour.”
It added that a change to the doubles model could help increase singles prize money at the start of the round and “help more players at the highest level better cover the costs of participating on the tour and build sustainable professional careers.”
The proposal has no impact on Grand Slam tournaments. There are 64 doubles teams taking part in this year’s Wimbledon, both men’s and women’s, and the winning pairs will share £760,000 (about $1 million), compared to £3.6 million (US$4.8 million) for the singles champions.
In terms of popularity and television audience, doubles tournaments have always taken a backseat to singles tournaments, and the format has already undergone several changes in recent years. In 2023, Wimbledon, along with the other Grand Slam tournaments, shortened matches from five sets to three.
The US Open introduced a new mixed doubles format last year, played before the start of the singles tournament, to attract top names such as Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Iga Swiatek and Naomi Osaka. However, this was criticized by traditional doubles players as it largely excluded them and instead attracted more well-known singles players.
The women’s doubles at Wimbledon received a boost as Serena and Venus Williams accepted wildcard entries. However, her participation was still in doubt after Serena suffered a knee injury in her first-round singles match in her first appearance at the All England Club in four years.
The men’s players said part of the problem in attracting viewers was due to the ATP Tour’s “poor marketing of the doubles, failure to take advantage of broadcast and other commercial partnerships, and poor staging and promotion of the event.”
“The double is not an afterthought for us,” the players said in a statement. “It has always been part of the identity of this sport and not a cheap version of it.”
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AP Tennis:
https://abcnews.com/Sports/wireStory/doubles-players-condemn-atp-tours-plan-cut-prize-134445247