Wimbledon Wildcards Announced

wimdledont · Challenger level

RE: Wimbledon Wildcards Announced

new to it · Social player

Ouch. Maybe Harriet hasnt had the best advice here....

Ratty · County player

Jaggy1876 wrote:
Grachka wrote:
Or it strikes of being good at doubles.
Subjective to those they are playing. I'm sure if the top players played doubles they'd be just as good. The fact it is a secondary sport in terms of ability and interest so I don't see how mediocrity should be rewarded except for the very best.

Doubles is an egregious example of a market failure. Doubles players are ludicrously overpaid in comparison to singles players:

1. Bob Bryan - career earnings $13 million

2. Gael Monfils - career earnings $9 million

Who would you rather watch?

indiana · Tennis legend

Gael Monfils, and I do much prefer singles to doubles.

However, I do think those stats actually do not help make the case that "doubles players are ludicrously overpaid in comparison to singles players" when you consider what the Bryans have achieved over a long career in doubles and what Monfils has actually achieved in singles.

Ratty · County player

I don't deny that the Bryans have achieved far more than Monfils, but in terms of having a product to sell, people are generally prepared to pay a lot more for the Monfils product than for the Bryans product.

In fact you'd be hard put to give away the latter (illustrated by TV never showing doubles, and the live audience all promptly disappearing when a doubles match comes on).

Hence the market failure in the ATP allocating far too much of the prize money to doubles.

wimdledont · Challenger level

For earnings, compare the Bryans US$13M with a similarly successful singles player, Federer on US91M.

For entertainment, compare leading US doubles player Bob Bryan with leading US singles player Isner. I pick the Bryans.

As this is the women's section, I'm also picking Hingis over Serena.

As this is a British women's section, I'd also add that our leading women's pair, at around WR75, have a year-to-date income of about £10k apiece. Typically, if they win a tournament, they get the prize money of a singles QF. If they're runner's up, they get about the same as a R16 loser. How much less than this should they be getting?

Jaggy1876 · Grand Slam Champion

My earlier post suggested I think the Bryan's are worth the money they earn. I don't think this at all what I meant was top doubles players should be paid accordingly to reflect being successful. However I agree that at ATP level the earnings do not reflect fairness when compared with singles players. That's probably why so many chose the doubles path as with a bit of luck you can be comfortable. This is all wrong and the balance need to be addressed. I like Josanna and am happy for them to make a good living out of the game doing what they do but when you think of better players struggling on mens and women's side and being lost to the game it doesn't seem fair.

I guess the real problem as discussed elsewhere is the low prize money on offer an ITF level in the first place.

Ratty · County player

wimdledont wrote:
For entertainment, compare leading US doubles player Bob Bryan with leading US singles player Isner. I pick the Bryans.

You might pick the Bryans, but TV would show Isner over the Bryans every time, and you wouldn't get 3/4 of the on-court audience walking out when Isner comes on to play either.

Tennis Doubles is a bit like minority sports like squash or badminton - their aficionados love them, but only tiny numbers of people are prepared to pay to watch them. In fact, as a thought experiment, if the Bryans were playing a final near where i live, I sadly find myself thinking that I would actually pay NOT to go.

Jaggy1876 · Grand Slam Champion

I've watched doubles live mainly when using ground passes whilst waiting for singles games to come on. They can be fun to watch random and skill level tends to be lower but the only way I'd actually pay to watch would be if the singles players Murray Nadal etc played together.

wimdledont · Challenger level

Moore and Slater; and Dart and Dunne get doubles qualifying wildcards!!!!!

When Andy sets about trying to defend his Olympic Silver without a playing partner, he's going to look very silly.

The Knight · Challenger qualifying

anyone know if Laura's playing any exhos this week? could do with the match practice

A1 tennis academy · Satellite level

Lol