Before I jump into the events that could be coming down the line, it helps to understand how men's tennis got to this point. Until 1988, men's tennis was governed by a separate body headed by tournament organizers with little player representation. In that year, players struck out on their own and created the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), which has been the leading body of men's tennis ever since. Players have a greater say in this organization, which handles the scheduling of the tour, as well as prize money and worldwide rankings. The players have 3 seats on a 7 seat Board of Directors, and a 10 man Player Council advises the Board on decisions relating to the tour. Recently, there have been major concerns that the players' wishes are not being addressed successfully by the ATP. The main problems that have been brought up by the players relate to over-scheduling, especially in terms of mandatory events, and prize money not being increased with respect to tour revenue increases. The current tour schedule is grueling, lasting from January (the Aussie Open) to November (Davis Cup & World Tour Finals). Many large events are scheduled almost concurrently, and players whose countries reach the later rounds of the Davis Cup (which is basically an Olympic-style tournament) are forced to miss large events with significant purses. The travel schedule is similarly intense, with tournaments being held consecutively in Australia & the Netherlands, for example. The prize money problem is similarly important. Players contend (correctly) that prize money has remained relatively stable in comparison with the rising revenues the tour is generating. Since players generally make the majority of their yearly compensation via tournament winnings, this is a very major issue for the tour to deal with. These issues have, in the minds of many players, not been competently addressed or handled by the current ATP structure.
In the past, when similar concerns have been brought up by players, there has been a split in the ranks regarding what should be done. It seems in this case that the players on the tour are largely in solidarity with each other with respect to these issues. There have been many prominent players who have come out and stated publicly their beef with the ATP and how that body has been dealing with the players overall. Men like Andy Roddick, who has been a driving force behind the players' standpoint, and even superstar Rafa Nadal have become involved. Nadal is actually the vice-president of the ATP Player Council, and has had strong words in support of the majority player position that the tour should be scaled back & prize money increased. One voice that has been conspicuously absent from the public discussion has been Roger Federer's. Federer is the president of the Player Council that I referenced earlier, and has stated that he does not think these player grievances should be aired publicly for all to see. The Swiss champion's rival, Nadal, has been critical of Federer's position on these issues, saying that he should come out publicly and support the players. As one can see, there is a divide among the players on tour when it comes to how to handle these issues, but this split is much smaller than it has been since the ATP was organized in the late 80s.
Some players threatened to strike prior to the Aussie Open, and I'm sure that threat will be renewed before each major tournament of the season. What is not set in stone is how both the players and the ATP as an organization will deal with the problems that have been raised. I think that these issues will get worse before they get better, as more and more tournaments are added to the already ridiculous schedule. The ATP will continue adding more events to boost profitability and the popularity of tennis in parts of the world where it is not a major sport yet. One of these areas of the world is Asia, where many of the issues that the players addressed are found in spades. The ATP has been trying to build the profile of men's tennis in this part of the world for years, introducing important tournaments in China and the rest of Asia that follow the last Grand Slam tournament in early September (the US Open). The tour has been pushing to add a fifth major tournament to the calendar, which would be located in China, most likely. With the ATP trying desperately to move in one direction (towards a more global, profitable sport) and the players pushing for a move the other way (less tournaments, more prize money), I don't see how these two sides can reach any sort of reasonable consensus.
I think that within the next few months, there will be much more serious talk about the formation of a players' union. If this whole situation ends up with the players starting their own union, it will be a monumental event in the history of tennis. It could also be devastating for the sport, especially if the decision to unionize is not supported by a massive majority of players. A union could lead to strikes, and the loss of major tournaments for one or more seasons. It isn't too often that a new union is formed in the sports world, and I am very interested to see what happens. There is a storm looming on the horizon, and the first rain clouds are about to appear. Let's hope the ATP brought their umbrellas.
-Cote
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