ATP Tennis Players Revisit Strike Talks as Play Begins

ATP tennis players have moved to dampen down talk of a potential revolt and rift in the men’s ranks as the Australian Open got underway on Monday.

As play began issues over a potental strike later in the year resurfaced, unless they and the ATP could come to an agreement on a more equitable split of prize money and a revamped playing schedule.

In a press conference on Sunday, Nadal said he was tired of “always being the one to talk” about the burning issues in the game. But at a players’ meeting here on Saturday evening, Nadal and his fellow players reportedly moved closer to a possible strike at a grand slam event when they voted, by an overwhelming majority, to keep that option open. No plans to strike were made but the players are angry and want change.

The vast majority, but not all, it seems. And the one big dissenter is Roger Federer. On his way to winning the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London last year, the Swiss described talk of a strike as “nonsense” and it seems that the former world No.1 is one of the few who are not in favour of escalating player power.

The row concerns only the four grand slam events, not the regular ATP Tour. At last year’s US Open, the total prize-money pot was just 13% of the tournament’s total revenue. That compares to 57% in the NBA and almost 50% in the NFL. At the time, it was Nadal, Andy Murray and Andy Roddick who led the calls for change.

Nadal kept his opinions close to his chest in English, but yesterday he decided to let his opinions out in his native tongue criticising Federer, effectively, for being holier than thou by seemingly staying above the argument.

“For him it’s good to say nothing. ‘It’s all well and good for me, I look like a gentleman and the rest can burn themselves’,” Nadal told Spanish reporters. “Everyone is entitled to have their own opinions.”

Spanish reporters here said the translation was close, if not perfect, but it seems clear Nadal is angry with Federer for not helping them achieve a united front. The players’ meeting was Brad Drewett’s first as the new CEO of the ATP Tour and the Australian must have been shocked by what he witnessed.

The length and crowded nature of the calendar is also an issue for many players, as is the Davis Cup’s place in the schedule. But prize-money, as a percentage of grand-slam revenue, is the key, with the players keen to stress that it is the lower-ranked players whose lot they are trying to improve, as well as extending the life of the top players.

“He likes the circuit. I like the circuit,” the Nadal translation continued. “It’s much better than many other sports but that doesn’t mean that it couldn’t be better. It doesn’t mean there are some things about the tour that couldn’t change. The tour is fine, but there are some things that are bad. That’s all we’re saying.

“The vast majority of players have this same opinion. He’s [Federer] got a different opinion. If the vast majority have one opinion, and a small minority think differently, maybe it’s them who are wrong.”

Related Discussions: Angry? Why not strike?