ATP - Let’s Talk Money

‘’We never rob, we just simply borrow a bit from those that can afford it’’ – Robin Hood

Although men’s professional tennis does not quite need a Robin Hood character just yet, the money dispersity from the tournaments & governing bodies to the players is a cause for concern. How can a sport that boasts the Forbes highest earning athlete of 2019 in Roger Federer also have players ranked inside the world’s top 250 (let’s not even mention outside 250) struggling to break even and provide a living for themselves and their families? This struggle has only been worsened by the global pandemic and lockdown caused by Covid-19.

The governing bodies of tennis have sensibly put together a player relief fund reportedly worth at least £5m to help players on the ATP and WTA tour who are unable to compete and earn a living throughout this lockdown. But this money will only go so far, and players who were already struggling to make ends meet, aka a whole lot of them, may decide to call it a day and end their professional career.

This is a tragic scenario, as the backbone of professional tennis are the players who are chasing the top, grinding in front of few fans at future and challenger level tournaments, pushing the standard of the game to higher levels.

The top players through big on-court earnings as well as lucrative endorsement deals can afford to have a coach, fitness trainer, physio, sport psychologist and a strategist as part of their team. Everything is perfectly organised for their mental and physical needs, thus ensuring they only have to worry about competing.

Things aren’t so easy down the rankings. In a blog post written about his financial struggles on tour, former Irish professional - James McGee; who achieved a career high of 146, talked about sleeping next to strangers in hostels, doing his laundry in the bathtub of his room and changing to more durable strings so that he could save money in the pursuit of reaching the top 100.

Away from the glitz and the glam of the ATP Tour, players are grinding on the challenger and futures tour in the pursuit of making the Top 100.

Not enough money is being made available from the ATP and ITF to the 250, challenger and futures events, resulting in talented and hard-working professionals unable to show anything for their vast efforts.

Let’s take a look at the Bangkok Open which was a challenger tournament held in January 2020 in the Thai capital. Challenger level tournaments are just a grade below the ATP Tour level, with players typically ranked anywhere from 75 to 300 in the draws. For this tournament, in order to get directly accepted into the main singles draw you would have to be ranked 280 or better. Or in other words, an exceptionally good player.

Let’s say you do get in; you have to fly to Bangkok, practice and get used to the hot conditions and hope you get a favourable first round draw. How hot are the conditions? Bangkok usually gets up to 32 Degrees Celsius in January with around 80% humidity. It was so hot this year that the exceptionally talented Robin Haase - who has beaten the likes of Andy Murray - ended up retiring during the final due to heat exhaustion. So, I’m going to go out on a limb and say hottt.

None the less you manage to win a tough 1st round match but now you are drawn to play the 10th seed Denis Istomin, a man who beat Novak Djokovic over 5 sets at the 2017 Australian Open. He plays a smarter match than you and you’re knocked out in the 2nd round.

What do you get for your efforts? A measly $520 dollars and 4 ranking points. If you had lost in the first round? $260, 0 ranking points and a ‘’thanks for entering’’ pat on the back. Oh, and by the way, that’s before you pay your taxes, food, transportation and other miscellaneous costs. Good luck making a living off that.

The breakdown of prize money and ranking points at this years Bangkok Open. The standard of play at challenger level is extremely high with players ranked as low as 75 in the world often entering.

It’s time for the ATP and ITF to step up and give players outside the world’s top 100 every chance possible of making it in this sport.

Prize money must be increased at future and challenger level tournaments. It’s ridiculous that players are going home empty handed after winning matches on tour. The ATP and ITF are not money wells, and with Covid-19 causing severe damage around the world, revenue will take a hit. But the executives at the top must ensure that the players are compensated appropriately going forward or the game could lose out on future superstars who simply cannot afford to make it all the way.

Players must also be allowed to make more off their own image rights. This could be achieved by allowing players play with at least 4 sponsorship logos on their attire. Next time you are watching Golf, look out for how many logos players are allowed to feature on their playing attire and bag. It is not uncommon for players to have 7 different brands attached to their shirt and hat, with even more on their bags.

In tennis, players are allowed just 2! Imagine how much revenue a few extra logos would mean to a player on the challenger or futures tour. It could be the difference between making money for the year or having to drain the bank account further.

British Golfer; Ian Poulter, seen here with 6 different sponsorship logos on his playing attire. There are even more on his bag. The ATP and ITF should allow players showcase more than the current limit of 2 logos. Photo credit: Getty Images.

At the elite level, the prizes are enormous and make the top players multi-millionaires. But just a couple of levels down, away from the TV cameras and lucrative sponsorship deals, players have to account for every penny spent on the road and often come home with empty pockets.

Players need to be helped with accommodation, on-site meal services, racket restringing, laundry and travel expenses. Otherwise, sadly, the rich will get richer and the poor will get poorer.

ATP - It’s time for change.