Barker Twins

johnnylad · Tennis legend

Barker Twins

Count Zero · Tennis legend

didnt they quit as a result of the proposed doubles rule changes?

Sheddie · administrator

They retired after Wimbledon 2005 in protest at the new doubles rules which was a great shame. They'd just broken the top 250, reached the Surbiton Challenger final. They played ATP Nottingham and took a top 50 pairing to 3 sets, unfortunately in Wimbledon they were drawn against Bjorkman and Miryni - top 5 players.

The Barkers came through via the American collegiate system - they played a lot of futures and challengers in the USA. After retiring they returned to college to complete degrees I think. Bob and Mike Bryan [the world no 1 pairing] played several exhibition matches against the Barkers and said that all the matches were very close.

It was a little depressing when the Barkers retired as there was no one really coming through in doubles for GB. Then James Auckland made his big push towards top 100, which he should achieve during the grass season and Fleming and Murray have now surpassed the Barkers by breaking the top 200. Jonny Marray's also in top 200 in doubles.

johnnylad · Tennis legend

Must have been a better reason to retire than some new rules. We should get them back!

Count Zero · Tennis legend

the peoblem was they way the entry would work, with players beign able to use their singles rankings or something, menaing pure doubles specialists, apart from the really top few would find it much harder to enter decent tournaments, and therfore earn suffiecnt prize money to keep going. pro tennis is really a singles orientated sport. its a very tough situation, how to make doubles more popular?

Sheddie · administrator

I didn't agree with the ATP's new doubles rules as it meant that talented aspiring doubles specialists like the Barker brothers were effectively forced out of the game as they weren't going to make a living unless they reached the top 50 which is extremely tough.

The answer should have been to promote doubles a lot more. The ATP really promote the singles game a lot but not the doubles game, they could have publicized it better and made more of the top stars of the doubles game. Ideas like cutting doubles out of Masters Series events were only ever going to make the situation worse.

Surely, there could have been better ways to get the top singles players to play more doubles, eg extra financial incentives or something.

johnnylad · Tennis legend

How about a rankings incentive like in the juniors with the combined ranking system. Not quite sure how it would work but might be worth people trying to think about.

Also, surely the Barkers could have played on the twin thing to get wildcards and publicity like the Bryans have.

Sheddie · administrator

johnnylad wrote:

How about a rankings incentive like in the juniors with the combined ranking system. Not quite sure how it would work but might be worth people trying to think about.
Also, surely the Barkers could have played on the twin thing to get wildcards and publicity like the Bryans have.

Combined rankings sounds like a good idea ! I wonder if the ATP have considered that, next time the BBC do a Q&A with one of the ATP representatives, we'll have to submit that question.

Re the Barkers: I'm not sure whether the Barkers were well known enough to utilise the fact that they were twins. The Bryans benefitted from the fact that they'd also had some spectacular wins in singles [eg Bob's win over henman in rd1 of Queens 2000] which had generated publicity for them. Also, they received a substantial number of wildcards due to the fact that there are so many tournaments in the USA giving them crucial experience against top doubles pairing. The Barkers only had 3 tournaments a year for that.

Salmon · Tennis legend

The Barkers protesting to that extent was a very premature move. They are great talents no doubt. But come on! Who will care on the international scene if an unheralded pair start protesting with threats of withdrawal.

They should have waited till this year at least.

Feels very sad to see them go. We could have had a specialist doubles team then.

Montana Doug · Futures qualifying

It seems crazy to me. I mean, to be young and carefree while traveling the world playing a game you love with your brother. I can't understand that at all. After a while they should have made the break through and earned a good living. Maybe one of them wanted to settle down or fell in love, then I'd understand, but does seem really strange.

johnnylad · Tennis legend

I agree with Greenleaf. Its very premature.

In response to their not getting the wildcards, given their publicity matches with the Bryans and their success in American College tennis I think they'd do ok for wildcards in USA too. With another year they probably would have made it. Never mind. Its their life, not mine.

Sheddie · administrator

I agree, it was premature and I was gutted to see them go as they had real talent.

I think they may have been hoping that more doubles pairs would support them and threaten to retire and so force the ATP to reverse the changes.