Isner calls for transparency on ATP prize money cuts
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[March 25, 2021]
By Sudipto Ganguly
(Reuters) - Former Wimbledon
semi-finalist John Isner has called on the ATP Tour to give players
a clearer picture of the decision-making process behind cuts to
prize money, though the American walked back some of his fiery
criticism from last month.
Isner had lashed out at the men's governing body on Twitter after
the Miami Open, an ATP Masters 1000 event, cut its total prize purse
by 60%, with the singles champions getting a cheque of $300,110,
down from $1.35 million in 2019.
The former world number eight called the ATP a "broken system" and
demanded a "true audit" of tournaments' finances, saying tennis was
"plagued by conflict and lack of transparency".
On Wednesday, he said his comments were not really about the prize
money itself.
"It's about the system of the ATP and why the decisions are made and
what goes into the prize money being so low," he said at the Miami
event, which was cancelled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"I do think recently the players have felt like the tour has been
more transparent with them. We're trying to understand the process a
bit more."
The professional circuit was shut down for five months last year due
to the pandemic before tournament organisers set up biosecure
bubbles for players and support staff to restart the Tours while
keeping fans away from stadiums.
ATP tournaments incurred losses of between $60-$80 million last
year, hurt by last-minute cancellations, a wipeout of ticketing
revenue and a 30% drop in proceeds from sponsorship.
Isner, who stepped down from the ATP Player Council last year and
joined up with Novak Djokovic to launch the breakaway Professional
Tennis Players Association, said it was difficult to adjust to the
huge cuts in prize money.
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Greece's Stefanos
Tsitsipas celebrates after winning his second round match against
John Isner of the U.S. REUTERS/Carlos Perez-Gallardo
"It's not what we've been accustomed to," said Isner, who has career
earning of more than $19 million.
"At the same time we know that tournaments in the past year don't
have the ticketing revenue that they're used to having."
Isner, who skipped the 2021 Australian Open due to strict health
protocols, said it was "very unfortunate" that players have to stay
at official hotels during Wimbledon as part of safety measures.
"There are a lot of players that, of course, would much prefer to
stay in private housing," said Isner, who won the longest match at
the All England Club in 2010 that lasted 11 hours and five minutes
against France's Nicolas Mahut.
"That's one of the unique things about Wimbledon, is you can rent a
house and walk to the courts, play your match, walk back. It's very,
very cool. It won't have that same feel this year."
(Reporting by Sudipto Ganguly in Mumbai; editing by Peter
Rutherford)
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