by Beth Rifkin
Andre Agassi’s recent shocking admission revealed more than his 1997 use of crystal meth – it brought to light the cracks in the foundation of the ATP. As we know it, that the ATP accepted an explanation from Agassi without further investigation when he failed a doping test, is in itself exploitive of the problems that were prevalent within the governing body of men’s tennis at the time.
Are things any better now? The ATP, which rules over both the players and the tournaments, as it’s done since 1990, declined to comment. But this past season player issues have escalated – the largest being the 11-month playing season, a point of conflict for over 25 years, though even more significant today due to the sports increasing physical demands. Top players again spoke out about the matter last month at the Shanghai Masters, “It’s impossible to play 1st of January and finish 5th of December. It’s impossible to be here playing like what I did the last five years, playing a lot of matches and being all the time 100 percent without problems,” said world number two Rafael Nadal.
And Andy Roddick stated, “It’s ridiculous to think that you have a professional sport that doesn’t have a legitimate off season to rest, get healthy, and then train. I just feel sooner or later that common sense has to prevail.”
The ATP has taken steps towards improvement, most notably a new marketing campaign, re-organization of the tournament schedule, uniformed scoring and challenge system, increased prize money and improved facilities at tournaments. But many believe that it’s not nearly enough and that improvements of an entirely different nature need to be made.
Emilio Sanchez, former top ten player and owner of the Sanchez-Casal Tennis Academies in Barcelona and Florida, thinks the sport is run worse today than it was 12 years ago when Agassi was exonerated. “Ethically the sport is wrong; the same organization shouldn’t rule both the players and the tournaments,” says Sanchez.
Todd Goldman, publisher of Tennis Life magazine agrees, “This is the perfect example of the hypocrisy of the ATP as it was and as it currently is. The ATP, as well as the WTA, has found itself in an untenable position of sanctioning the events and representing the interest of the players and the tour. To finally gain credibility the ATP and WTA should no longer represent the interest of the players. Let the players represent themselves or start a player’s union and let the ATP and WTA run the tours similar to how the NFL or MLB run their respective sports.”
By not having a more traditional union or individual representation the players have repeatedly run into the same problems over and over. While in Shanghai Roddick also commented, "I certainly don't see any other sporting leagues or federations following our lead as far as not being individually represented."
However, the incentive for change clearly does not lie with the ATP. “Until the players get together, nothing will change,” says Sanchez, who led Spain to a Davis Cup Champion last year. “The players will always be last. It’s a sport where the players are controlled by the same people as the tournaments. The tournaments are bigger than the players, so until the players get together they will always be last.”
In a much publicized conflict in 2008, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal along with several other players confronted then ATP CEO Etienne de Villiers regarding changes to the 2009 schedule that they thought would make the tour even more grueling. Following years of neglect by former Chairman Mark Miles, players claimed that they again felt unheard and ignored throughout De Villiers’ tenure. It’s been said that current CEO Adam Helfant understood the daunting complications before him when taking the position earlier this year and that he has been more willing to listen and interact with the Tour, though meeting the player’s requests on this matter does not seem likely in the near future.
2009 saw the world’s top three men, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, take an active role by running and sitting on the ATP’s Players Council, however, a more direct approach may be needed.
Change is possible; the WTA, which also governs both the players and tournaments, has made some effort towards improvement with a shorter season that now gives the women November and December off. The WTA has also implemented profit sharing. Sanchez says, “This is the first year that the WTA is having revenue sharing with the players so it becomes a joint venture between the players and the tournaments. But for the men this doesn’t happen. The ATP is always behind.”
Tennis courts have historically been a launching pad for trailblazers and revolutionaries; throughout the Open Era accomplishments on the court have been either precedential or reflective of the civil and social changes played out in the world at large. Billie Jean King, Arthur Ashe, Martina Navratilova - Andre Agassi – among so many others, have shown that the fight of a champion works as well off the court as it does on.
Do I hear a ‘Viva la Revolucion!’
