Less money, fewer sponsors, less exposure. Doubles players are facing a crisis, according to some of the category’s biggest names in tennis: “There’s a lack of effort.”
The ATP acknowledges there is “untapped potential” and insists a “new narrative” is needed to boost the category. Doubles players criticize the organization’s commercial strategy.
“Marketing must be 99.9% for singles and 0.1% for doubles. It makes no sense from a business perspective,” North American Rajeev Ram, world No. 1 in 2022, told CLAY.
“There’s a lack of effort to generate more interest in doubles, probably from the ATP,” added his doubles partner, Austin Krajicek.
“We recognize the untapped potential of men’s doubles and are committed to increasing its visibility and impact,” said Ross Hutchins, ATP chief sporting officer.
“Doubles adds an exciting and dynamic element to the sport, but unlocking its full entertainment value requires a new narrative and strategic innovation. Based on the format and rule trials launched in 2024, we are now shifting our focus towards optimizing the scheduling,” added the executive.
The format trials and new rules began at the 2024 Madrid Masters 1000: a five-day schedule, a shorter serve clock, free movement for fans on the court, and more spots in the draw for players who use their singles ranking.
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For Ram, these changes don’t solve the problem one bit.
“We try to do silly things like having 30 seconds of rest between points. In the end, none of that matters. The audience that comes to watch us doesn’t know who the players are or the stories behind them. We could stand up, play tiebreaks, do whatever they want, but that won’t change anything,” criticized the 40-year-old player, certain that increasing the exposure of the tour’s figures is key to reigniting public interest in doubles.
“At the ATP, we could do a better job of making people know the doubles players. Often, people come to watch but don’t know the players. The narrative has to change,” said Italian Andrea Vavassori, who won the latest ATP 500 in Rotterdam.
“Obviously, you can’t compare singles and doubles, but I think doubles has a great history and it’s important to develop that area better. For fans to have 360-degree entertainment, you need doubles,” added the Rotterdam ATP 500 champion, alongside Simone Bolelli.
Opelka: “They’re frustrated singles players; overpaid athletes”
Krajicek and Ram, silver medalists at the Paris 2024 Olympics, probably aren’t too happy with their fellow North American Reilly Opelka. Vavassori might not be either.
The former world No. 17 in singles recently stirred up a debate about the current state of doubles with harsh comments about his fellow tennis players: “Doubles is for frustrated singles players, there’s no such thing as ‘doubles specialists.’”
“Doubles players don’t sell a single ticket, they use training courts, physiotherapists, and resources, they don’t generate profit and complain they don’t make enough money. They have a pretty greedy attitude,” the American commented on Instagram.
Rohan Bopanna, former world No. 1 in doubles, responded to Opelka’s comments without mentioning him directly.
“To all those dismissing doubles tennis, understand this: playing doubles and earning an income from it has given me the power to give back in ways that truly matter. It has helped underprivileged children discover the sport, provided education to more than 30 kids who don’t care if the support comes from singles or doubles earnings. What matters is that it’s changing lives,” wrote the 45-year-old player on his social media.
As he told CLAY in a recent interview, Bopanna created a program at his academy in India for underprivileged children who had never picked up a racket: “I’m giving back a little of what tennis has given me.”
“There are those, from their positions of privilege, who sit down to debate who deserves more or less. They fail to understand the bigger picture: the true impact of this sport. Tennis is not just about rankings or prize money; it’s about the doors it opens, the lives it transforms, and the opportunities it creates. If they can’t respect that, then they don’t truly respect the game,” the Indian added.
Perhaps, it’s these types of stories behind the personalities of the doubles tour that people – including Opelka – don’t know, and that Ram suggests need to be widely shared.
According to some players, it’s the fault of the ATP’s marketing plan, which has forgotten a tour with a rich history and great champions.
