Doubles Players to ATP: Don't Cut Our Game — $20 Million Prize-Money Fight Puts Tennis's Future on the Line

LONDON, 27 October 2026 — Leading men's doubles players have urged the ATP Tour to rethink plans that would shrink doubles competitions and move prize money to singles, warning that the changes would cut professional opportunities and weaken the pathway into the sport. In a letter to the ATP board and management reported by Reuters on Tuesday, 27 October 2026, the players said they understood the need for reform but were deeply concerned about the proposals under discussion. The letter was signed by 137 active players, 33 former players and 20 federations.

Illustration: A doubles match at the net, the format at the centre of the ATP debate.

What Happened

According to Reuters, the ATP said earlier in October 2026 that it was reviewing potential changes to the size of doubles draws at tournaments as part of its plans for 2028 and beyond, with freed-up funds going towards singles qualifying and early-round prize money. The players' letter argues that the current plans would shift about $20 million in prize money from doubles to singles while cutting a significant number of professional opportunities for doubles specialists.

"That shift would make it much harder for talented players to build and sustain a doubles career," the group wrote. "A healthy professional sport cannot rely solely on a small group of top stars; it needs pathways for players to develop, compete and earn a living."

The plans being discussed include cutting the number of doubles teams at elite ATP Masters 1000 events to 16 from 32, with events below that level featuring smaller fields, Reuters reported. The governing body said earlier in October that doubles would continue to be a core part of the tour and that its reviews were focused on identifying a model for its sustainable long-term future. It added that discussions would continue with the Player Advisory Council, and the ATP is set to hold its year-end meetings in Turin next month.

Dutch player Sem Verbeek, the doubles world number 60, put the players' case publicly on X. "Tennis is more than a business," he wrote. "It's a legacy built on joy, health and sportsmanship. A sport built on those values should open doors, not close them." Reuters said it had contacted the ATP for comment on the letter.

Background

Doubles has long lived in the shadow of singles at professional level. Apart from the Grand Slams and the Olympic Games, doubles receives much less attention than singles, and few top singles players commit to playing the format, Reuters noted. Yet the same report points out that doubles is hugely popular at club level, where most people who pick up a racket play it socially.

The debate is part of a wider reshaping of the men's tour. The ATP outlined plans this month to boost its bonus pool to $50 million from $21.5 million, and to reshape its rankings and calendar as part of a package aimed at lifting player compensation to $350 million from 2028, according to Reuters. Within that package, the question is not whether players overall earn more, but how the money is shared between the singles and doubles draws.

For doubles specialists, the arithmetic is personal. Unlike singles stars, who can earn a living deep into draws on their own, doubles players split their prize money with a partner and depend on a full calendar of events to make a season work. A smaller draw at Masters 1000 events — the tour's biggest regular tournaments outside the Grand Slams — would mean fewer places, fewer paydays and fewer chances for lower-ranked pairs to break through.

Illustration: A doubles pair celebrating together, a partnership the players say needs protecting.

Why It Matters

The dispute matters because it goes to the shape of professional tennis itself. If doubles becomes harder to sustain as a career, the tour risks losing the specialists who make the format what it is: the net play, the teamwork and the tactical variety that singles cannot offer. It would also narrow the route into the professional game for players whose skills suit doubles better than singles.

There is a commercial argument on both sides. The ATP's case, as reported, is that the tour needs a sustainable long-term model and that directing funds to singles qualifying and early rounds would support more players trying to establish themselves. The doubles players' case is that cutting their events to fund that goal would simply move the problem from one group of professionals to another — and that a sport which markets itself on participation should not shrink one of its most accessible formats.

The breadth of the letter's backing is itself significant. With 137 active players, 33 former players and 20 federations signed on, it is not a complaint from a handful of disgruntled players but a coordinated statement from across the doubles community. That gives the ATP something it cannot easily dismiss when its board and management meet to finalise the 2028 plans.

What Happens Next

The next milestone is the ATP's year-end meetings in Turin next month, where the plans for 2028 and beyond will be under discussion alongside the Player Advisory Council. The players will be watching for whether the governing body revises the proposed draw sizes or the scale of the prize-money shift in response to the letter.

Until the ATP publishes its final plans, the proposals remain under discussion rather than decided policy — a distinction worth keeping in mind. What is certain is that the debate will not end with one letter: if the draw cuts go ahead, doubles players have signalled they will keep pressing their case, and if they are softened, singles players and tournament organisers will want to know how the tour's wider compensation goals are still met.

For fans, the practical question is simpler: whether the doubles draws they watch at the sport's biggest regular events will look the same in 2028 as they do now. The answer will emerge from Turin, and from the negotiations that follow.

Illustration: Young players on public courts, the grassroots pathway the letter says must be kept open.

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FAQ

What have doubles players asked the ATP to do?

They have asked the ATP board and management to reconsider plans that would reduce the size of doubles competitions and move prize money to singles, arguing the changes would cut professional opportunities for doubles specialists.

How many people signed the letter?

According to Reuters, the letter was signed by 137 active players, 33 former players and 20 federations.

How much prize money is at stake?

The players' letter says the current plans would shift about $20 million in prize money from doubles to singles.

What draw changes are being discussed?

Reuters reported that the plans include cutting doubles teams at elite ATP Masters 1000 events to 16 from 32, with smaller fields at events below that level.

When will the ATP decide?

The ATP is set to hold its year-end meetings in Turin next month, with discussions continuing with the Player Advisory Council; the proposals are part of its plans for 2028 and beyond.

Sources

• Reuters, "Top doubles players call on ATP to rethink proposed changes," 27 October 2026.
• ATP Tour statements on doubles and the 2028 plans, as reported by Reuters, October 2026.