Professional doubles players are facing an uncertain future after the ATP Tour announced significant cuts to prize money and tournament sizes, set to take effect from 2028.
A collective of leading players has vehemently rejected the proposals, warning they are not “a carnival sideshow” and that the changes would make it impossible for most to earn a living.
The players’ statement, issued on Friday, follows discussions with ATP officials at Wimbledon this week regarding the future of a format that has struggled to attract a large audience.
“The ATP is proposing to slash doubles draws, gut doubles prize money, and hand Challenger entry to singles players ahead of specialists who have built their careers in this discipline,” the statement declared.
Under the proposed changes, doubles players would receive just 10 per cent of the prize money at ATP tournaments, a significant reduction from the current 20 per cent, while the size of doubles fields would be halved.
This would see the doubles draw at premier Masters tournaments cut to just 16 teams, with smaller ATP 500 and 250 events featuring only eight teams. “Do the math on what that means for anyone outside the top 30: it will be impossible to make a living,” the players asserted.
They further criticised the proposal, stating: “This is not a minor adjustment. It is a plan to end doubles as a viable profession, dressed up as a cost-saving measure – and it is being pushed through with almost no transparency and almost no consultation with the players whose careers and livelihoods are on the line.”
Responding to the statement, the ATP Tour indicated it was “assessing the doubles product, draw sizes and player compensation distribution with the aim of creating a more sustainable long-term model while maintaining doubles’ important role on the Tour.”
The organisation added that altering the doubles model could help increase early-round singles prize money, thereby “helping more players at the highest level to better meet the costs of competing on Tour and build sustainable professional careers.”
The proposed changes would not impact Grand Slam tournaments. At this year’s Wimbledon, there are 64 doubles teams in both the men’s and women’s draw and winning pairs split £760,000 (about $1 million), compared to £3.6 million ($4.8 million) for the singles champions.
Doubles has historically played a secondary role to singles in terms of popularity and television viewership, leading to several format adjustments in recent years. In 2023, Wimbledon aligned with other Grand Slams by shortening matches from five to three sets.
Last year, the US Open introduced a new mixed doubles format, played before the singles tournament, in an effort to attract top names such as Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Iga Swiatek and Naomi Osaka. This move, however, drew criticism from traditional doubles players who felt largely excluded in favour of more famous singles specialists.
The men’s players contend that part of the difficulty in attracting an audience stems from the ATP Tour’s “lacklustre marketing of doubles, failure to exploit broadcast and other commercial partnerships, and poor event staging and promotion.”
“Doubles is not an afterthought we fell into,” the players’ statement concluded. “It has always been part of this sport’s identity, not a discount version of it.”