Doubles players have revolted against tennis bosses with a legal threat after an attempt to reduce their numbers at post-Wimbledon events.
The plan to tighten the qualifying criteria has been shelved amid furious warnings from at least 49 players who signed a highly critical letter. The ATP was forced into a U-turn after players claimed the amendments amounted to an “illegal boycott” and “exclusion”.
In fact, the proposed new rule would have reduced the number of places available for specialist doubles players at the tournaments in Hamburg, Gstaad, Newport, Bastad and Kitzbühel.
Telegraph Sport reported in March how the ATP More individual players are expected to participate. to increase the commercial appeal of doubles competitions.
However, the ATP withdrew the plan after more than half of the world’s top 20 doubles players joined in with the men’s professional tour. It is suggested that the main reason for the withdrawal was that the tour concluded that it had not given players sufficient notice.
One top 50 player, who asked to remain anonymous, said of the move: “It’s a threat to the entire doubles ecosystem. They actually want to cut jobs for doubles players.
“It’s all very well saying ‘it’s just a trial, it might never happen’, but would anyone be happy if their employer said they wanted to give them ‘a trial layoff’?”
According to the letter of complaint seen by Telegraph Sport, the ATP intended to “limit one side of the doubles draw to players who rely on their singles ranking to qualify, so that only seven or eight teams can qualify using doubles rankings, and six teams can qualify using singles rankings.”
“Doubles teams that would normally qualify… will no longer be eligible to compete unless doubles spots reserved for players relying on singles rankings are not filled,” the letter said.
The reintroduction of entry restrictions later in the season remains a possibility, which the players’ group believes “may destroy the ability of a number of doubles players to continue to earn a living from their sport”.
Jamie Murray, ranked No. 25 in doubles, is not believed to have signed the letter to the tour. Earlier this year, former world No. 1 Murray spoke of a looming crisis on the doubles circuit. “At the moment, it seems to me that (the doubles circuit) is doomed to failure,” Murray said. “Nobody, from a tour perspective, seems to be thinking about making it a more valuable proposition.”
The players who signed the complaint letter wrote: “This illegal deprivation of the opportunity to earn ranking points and prize money will have consequences throughout the year.
“Furthermore, the continuation of restrictions throughout the year and beyond would represent an existential threat to the entire sport of doubles, incompatible with the obligations the ATP has to its member players. We expect the new entry restrictions to be lifted prior to the registration deadline for each of the tournaments. If the restrictions are not lifted, affected players will explore their legal options.”
