Men's tennis faces major shake-up

Drew · Aug 28, 2006

Men's tennis faces major shake-up

Drew · Aug 28, 2006

The offical view from the ATP........

http://www.atptennis.com/en/newsandscores/news/2006/2007_initiatives.asp

Michael · Pro player

I don't like the idea of Round Robin matches. That means you are more likely to always have the bigger/best players in later stages of a tournament meaning less surprises. If they lose they should be out.

Tournaments starting on Sun day is interesting, what would happen if a player gets to the final though and he is signed up for the next tournament, does it mean he will have to play the very next day on the Saturday?

I personally say keep it as it is.

imoen · Admin: Moderator+Tennis Legend

Some of the changes sound good, like the start on a sunday (though I'm not sure how that would work with back to back tournaments) and the reduction to only 3-set matches. Also the idea of integrating doubles more would be good. But I'm really not sure about the round-robin idea. As Michael said, it means less chance of an upset, i mean look at Federer, he loses about once a year in the lower parts of tournaments, if the loss in Cincy was part of a round robin he would have just gone on to win the tournament anyway, who wants that?

Madeline · Admin:Moderator + Tennis Legend

I don't yet understand how Sunday starts will work. Presumably they are still having Sunday finals? How will they work the schedule for people involved in finals if the next week's tournament is a long way off, so that not only could they not get there for the first day but probably not for the second day either?

Round robins - I have read many arguments on other boards, but I am not convinced that it would not unduly favour existing top players who would be able to recover from one bad day. OK, Joe Public wants to see the well-known players still in at the end of the tournament, but these players are not usually playing in the lower-level tournaments that this is likely to be applied to anyway, so what is the point? I can't see how it could possibly work on anything other than a 32 draw.

I prefer the knock-out idea for everything but the Masters Cup - it works there because they are all top-level players. Round Robin ruins competition.

Michael · Pro player

Seems like Round Robin isn't favoured here.

Drew · Aug 28, 2006

Michael wrote:

Seems like Round Robin isn't favoured here.

Ditto.........

Robxon · Lower Club Player

It would be interesting to know what is the exact objective of these changes?

It all seems to be about making the game more attractive to television by making the results more predictable. Apparently it is difficult to sell the game unless the very few players with celebrity status are playing. It is about attracting casual viewers rather than pleasing fans.

The move is surely designed to make the tennis peripheral to the entertainment experience. Go to a tournament, enjoy the side shows, visit the exciting retail mall, have a great time and, oh by the way, you might like to watch some of the tennis.

It feels like the only players that matter are those at the very top of the game or those with a huge amount of marketable hype behind them.

I do not like the concept of round robin tournaments but I believe a trial may be instructive. However, there would be a number of logistical issues to sort out such as the increase in matches from 31 to 55, ranking points distribution, players having to play 6 matches in a maximum of 8 days (asssuming Sunday starts) and qualifying.

When would qualifying take place? Players already play 3 matches in two days. Would qualies start on Friday (this means a Thursday sign in) or would the field be reduced?

If these changes are supposedly good for the elite playes in the game, does this mean that they will, or even should, be introduced to challenger and futures circuits?

The changes really do nothing to address the real issues around the sport such as the length of the playing season and the placement of key tournaments within the calendar. If tournments were poperly planned into hardcourt, clay, grass and indoors seasons, players were would be properly prepared. They would then be much more likely to give a true account of their ability.

These changes show the lengths that the ATP will go to worship the almighty dollar. And to think we are unhappy with the LTA.

Robxon · Lower Club Player

I am not a great fan of MTF due to the excessively abusive nature of many of the threads (unlike here).

However, I have found these two articles about the changes. The first is a Q&A session with the Etienne de Villiers of the ATP.

http://www.peterbodostennisworld.com/

The second is an interesting article from El Mundo Deportivo, translated by Nou.amic:

Godó open to adopting round robin and Sunday start

Sixte Cambra, director of the Open Seat Trofeo Conde de Godó, said yesterday in New York that the tournament is open to the possiblity of being one of those that try out the round robin format that the ATP hopes to introduce in the whole calendar from 2009 onwards. In the Godó's case, the draw would change from 56 to 48 players who would be divided into 16 groups of 3 players. The winners would go on to the round of sixteen, from where on the knock out format would prevail. With this formula the top players would play at least two matches in the tournament.

In 2007 the ATP wants tournaments to start on Sundays, a more attractive day to both fans and television. In addition, all the finals on the (ATP) circuit will be the best of three sets, five set finals, like at the Godó, are to disappear.

Sixte Cambra pointed out that the modifications that will be introduced have to be directed towards "increasing the players' commitment to the tournaments", to prevent so many last minute withdrawals from the official entry list previously obtained from the ATP. In the last 60 professional tournaments the average number of absences from the original list has been 10 players per tournament.

The ATP will work from a base of the 16 top players, who will have to establish their calendar before the beginning of the season. An Appointment Committee will establish the distribution of the players, who will earn more money if they fulfil their commitments but will get 0 ranking points if they do not show up. There will be 16 'premium' tournaments, 8 Masters Series and 8 Nations Open, of which the Godó wants to be one. The tournament will be worth 1.500.000 euros and the participation of six players in the top sixteen will be guaranteed.

These changes do not apply to the Grand Slams, which are run by the International Federation.

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Perhaps it is just me, but I do think that these changes have not been fully thought out. De Villiers answers show his confusion. He has not begun to address the logistical or financial details of these changes but is pushing ahead anyway.

It seems to me that we are moving towards a circuit of the same players travelling between tournaments and forgetting about the rest.

One little example that this thinking is the logistics of Nadal playing a Sunday start RR in Barcelona when he will almost certainly be in the Monte Carlo final on the same day.

It would be funny if it were not so serious. I could go on and on about this but I really worry about the future of this wonderful sport.