PTPA Lawsuit Creating Healthy Discussion By Industry Leaders

Prominent tennis world figures Patrick Mouratoglou, former Wimbledon champion and Hamburg tournament director Michael Stich and coach Sven Groeneveld had an interesting exchange about PTPA/ATP this week…

Patrick Mouratoglou: The fight for fair revenue distribution in tennis is one of the topics highlighted by the legal action conducted by the PTPA.

As the PTPA’s recent legal action shakes up the tennis world, the core question remains: how can a global sport generating billions still leave so many of its athletes struggling to make a living?

I do think that only about 100 men and 100 women earn enough to sustain themselves on tour, with a kind of regularity. Meanwhile, a player ranked 200 in the world (an elite athlete by any standard) often loses money just to compete. That’s not sustainable. In a sport as global and commercially powerful as tennis, the top 500 players in both men’s and women’s singles should be able to make a living.

The revenue split is undeniably part of the issue. Right now, the numbers we are introduced to state that only 17% of the sport’s total revenue goes to the players. Compare that to other major sports, where athletes are said to receive between 30% and 50% — it’s clear tennis needs to catch up.

But it’s not just about increasing the share for players, it’s also about how that revenue gets distributed among them. The gap between the top stars and those ranked between 100 and 500 is massive. These players might not make it to the TV broadcasts, but they’re still dedicating their lives to the sport and competing at an incredible level. They deserve more than survival — they deserve stability.

This isn’t about taking from the top players — it’s about creating a healthier, more sustainable ecosystem for the sport as a whole.

Michael Stich:  Patrick, as a Former Player I can agree with some of the things you write. I was on the Players Board in the 90s and we tried to get more share of the money. It is a constant process over the last 50 years. But no generation has made so much money as the current. Look at the prize money of top players singles and doubles. So it has to come from those players to support the rest, as you write. They have to give. It’s not up to the system. As a promoter for the Hamburg tournament I can tell you that is difficult to generate profit for such an event. And I believe there are many tournaments that are not getting rich doing it. But they love the sport and the environment. But top players asking for guarantees that are not reasonable and that creates big problems for tournaments. So start by having a limit for guarantees. Then promoters could even raise prize money. But the players want all. More money, less obligations to play, no commitment to tournaments. They have to understand that the promoters give them jobs and are a valuable partner on tour. But in my ten years there was no discussion between players and tournaments. It’s all about expectation. The PTPA is hurting the sport with their move and it makes me very sad.

Sven Groeneveld: Players need independent representation.

Michael Stich: I absolutely agree with you Sven. Have tried to tell the ATP for more than 15 years that I believe that the players need their own representation. But so do the tournaments. The ATP should be only the governing body to be the link between players and tournaments. But the ATP is unfortunately acting many times in their own interest. They can’t make decisions that equally benefit players and tournaments. I experienced that as a promoter in Hamburg. Tournaments and players have to negotiate all the deals. But players are not understanding that this is a partnership. How can the ATP allow the Laver Cup to be part of the official calendar in a very important part of the season? It is to please the top guys who complain they play too much. But they play exos in the off season where they could rest instead of play an event that has no real meaning from my point of view. Don’t misunderstand. It’s a great event. But only for very few top guys. Well payed. But instead of participating in more 500 or 250 events they play that. Because most events are not able to pay 100 thousands of dollars guarantee for top players. I feel there is not enough partnership between events and players. That has to change.

ATP · Hamburg Open · Michael Stich · Patrick Mouratoglou · PTPA · Sven Groeneveld

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