Thanks MW, great write-up on this, finally insight into some of the bts. For me, it's also wondering how to make this sport equitable to players outside the 250 that don't make the cut to slams. How do we increase accessibility and longevity in this sport for those players that want this as their career but aren't the next Federer per se?
Thanks Akbar. It's a great question that will get its own devoted issue a bit further down the line. Lots more coming soon about the future of the sport and how to improve the lower rungs. The short answers are more funding to challengers and WTA 125k's, better accessibility and pricing strategies for both. Better and basic media training for those levels so that young stars playing at those lower rung events can start growing a following early on. Platform experiments for challenger TV, at the moment challenger TV is too hard to find and access for most fans etc etc etc
Aside from the PTPA's lack of a professionally structured first "strike," with their poorly formed initial statement (see: Marcus Daniell's comments above), the idea that a "Players'" group (sic) that seeks fundamental changes to "the" tour (unnhh, doesn't that included dual gender tourneys?) doesn't include the women is silly, organizationally re the tour, philosophically, and from a negotiating standpoint.
To be fair, while the focus of this piece was on the ATP side given what happened on Monday/Tuesday in Miami, last I heard the PTPA still had some WTA support, but tough to know exactly how much or how firm for now. But agreed that a combined approach would be absolutely vital if they ever were to get to the negotiating table with the Slams again
Apologies if my comment came across in any way as a critique of your piece. That was not the intention.
What *is* silly is that any group, from either tour, should name their splinter organization "the" Professional Tennis Players Association without established and reasonably significant representation from a cross section of players on both tours. I mean, c'mon, the only players who're pros are the men? It's tone deaf beyond belief, and emblematic of the lack of planning that went into the move, regardless of how much the motivations for the move may, or may not, be legit.
Didn't come across as a critique at all! Agree on that point but given various quotes from Andy Murray about ATP players' willingness to share anything with the women, I'm not sure the PTPA are going to have a particularly easy time recruiting both tours anyway unfortunately.
Thanks MW, great write-up on this, finally insight into some of the bts. For me, it's also wondering how to make this sport equitable to players outside the 250 that don't make the cut to slams. How do we increase accessibility and longevity in this sport for those players that want this as their career but aren't the next Federer per se?
Thanks Akbar. It's a great question that will get its own devoted issue a bit further down the line. Lots more coming soon about the future of the sport and how to improve the lower rungs. The short answers are more funding to challengers and WTA 125k's, better accessibility and pricing strategies for both. Better and basic media training for those levels so that young stars playing at those lower rung events can start growing a following early on. Platform experiments for challenger TV, at the moment challenger TV is too hard to find and access for most fans etc etc etc
Aside from the PTPA's lack of a professionally structured first "strike," with their poorly formed initial statement (see: Marcus Daniell's comments above), the idea that a "Players'" group (sic) that seeks fundamental changes to "the" tour (unnhh, doesn't that included dual gender tourneys?) doesn't include the women is silly, organizationally re the tour, philosophically, and from a negotiating standpoint.
To be fair, while the focus of this piece was on the ATP side given what happened on Monday/Tuesday in Miami, last I heard the PTPA still had some WTA support, but tough to know exactly how much or how firm for now. But agreed that a combined approach would be absolutely vital if they ever were to get to the negotiating table with the Slams again
Apologies if my comment came across in any way as a critique of your piece. That was not the intention.
What *is* silly is that any group, from either tour, should name their splinter organization "the" Professional Tennis Players Association without established and reasonably significant representation from a cross section of players on both tours. I mean, c'mon, the only players who're pros are the men? It's tone deaf beyond belief, and emblematic of the lack of planning that went into the move, regardless of how much the motivations for the move may, or may not, be legit.
And thanks for post, and the reply.
Didn't come across as a critique at all! Agree on that point but given various quotes from Andy Murray about ATP players' willingness to share anything with the women, I'm not sure the PTPA are going to have a particularly easy time recruiting both tours anyway unfortunately.