More Than 150 Doubles Players Urge ATP to Rethink Cuts
Players including world number one Henry Patten and the Bryan brothers signed an open letter against smaller draws and less prize money from 2028. The ATP board votes next month.
More than 150 men's doubles players have asked the ATP Tour to drop proposals they say would kill their format. Among them are British world number one Henry Patten and the Bryan brothers, Mike and Bob.
On Monday, 137 current players, 28 former players and 20 national federations put their names to an open letter. The ATP has proposed cutting doubles draw sizes and prize money from 2028.
What the ATP proposes
The plan would halve the doubles draws at Masters 1000 events to 16 teams, with smaller tournaments reduced to eight. The share of prize money going to doubles could fall from 20% to 10%, with the difference redistributed to singles players.
The ATP says the changes are part of a wider review meant to "strengthen" the tour from 2028. It describes the doubles plan as based on data on costs, revenue and viewership. With fewer singles players now entering doubles, it believes the current size of standalone doubles events puts severe strain on tournaments. ATP sources insist a compromise is likely.
The players' case
"We're at risk of losing a discipline of tennis which is historic - but has a big future," said Dutch player Sem Verbeek, one of the letter's architects. "These proposals would destroy careers, livelihoods and dreams," he told BBC Sport.
The players argue that doubles is the format most club members play, so it is relatable, and that the tour should do more to promote it. "Still, the proposed reforms go much too far," it says. Others in tennis believe reform is needed and suggest a 20% prize money share is out of proportion to fan interest.
The Bryans said they would support the group if it considered legal action. In 2005 they led players in a lawsuit against the ATP over planned changes to doubles. "These proposed changes are anti-competitive," Mike Bryan said.
The ATP board, made up of chairman Andrea Gaudenzi, four tournament representatives and four player representatives, will vote on the plans at next month's ATP Finals in Turin.
Source: BBC Sport