Tennis will never be the same again. He wants less events, more money and tournaments only for the elite

“You are the fourth most popular sport, but 70 percent of fans watch you at only four events,” revealed the head of the American Tennis Association, Lew Sherr, the conclusions of the survey, which runs from 2021 on five thousand respondents, and according to which fans are mainly focused on the Grand Slams.

“We’re diluting our own product, we have up to six tournaments in certain weeks and fans don’t know which ones to watch. Why is Sinner playing in Rotterdam and Alcaraz somewhere in South America?” he recalled the situation in February, when the leading stars each chose a different program.

Voices calling for a change to the long-established format have been growing louder recently. Behind the scenes, two powerful groups are forming: one consists of the rulers of the four Grand Slams, the other ATP boss Andrea Gaudenzi with generous financial support from Saudi Arabia.

Both factions strive for the union of male and female circles.

The first group intends to create one series that would offer a smaller number of tournaments, but with a more prestigious charge, the second would like to sell the marketing rights of the ATP and WTA together, but in terms of the game itself, they would maintain separate systems. While one of the Masters events would be held in Saudi Arabia.

So far, there is more public talk about the plan of the Grand Slam bosses, who are striving for the creation of the so-called. Premier Tour.

“The best way to present our sport to fans is through a format where the best compete on an elite circuit with predetermined tournaments. Which at the same time gives the players space to rest and fine-tune their form,” outlines Sherr.

The first signs of a possible revolution came from the men’s calendar of the ATP circuit for the 2025 season, which the association officially presented on Friday.

You won’t find the five previous stops, the Masters tournaments in Cincinnati and Canada will be extended to two weeks, and the other three events will be upgraded from the 250 to 500 category. In response to this announcement, popular journalist José Morgado, who is followed by over 192 thousand users on the X network, wrote: “Tennis will probably never be the same as we’ve known it for the past 30-plus years.”

So what can it look like?

So far, there are reports that the new men’s and women’s Premier Tour circuits are to include four Grand Slams plus ten additional 96-player spider tournaments, a team event, a joint final event of the season, a week off before and after the Grand Slams and at least a two-month break after the season.

All this in a closed system in the golf PGA style, where approximately the best hundred players have access to it in one season, while the others will fall under the lower circuit with the possibility of post-season advancement.

“In the current model, ten tournaments account for 80 percent of our sport’s revenue. This is not sustainable, we need a change,” Sherr once again reminds of the disproportionate power of Grand Slams and other giant tournaments.

From the novelty, which emphasizes quality, not quantity, he promises a significant increase in revenues, which would help even elite players. By the way, the Premier Tour promises to introduce equal prize money for male and female tennis players, which has been a hotly debated topic in recent years.

Sally Bolton, who heads the All England Club, which hosts Wimbledon, estimated for the AP that the news would bring tennis up to an extra billion dollars in sponsorship deals and broadcasting rights.

And when can the changes take effect?

Grand Slam bosses mention that definitely not before 2026. Many current venues have long-term contracts that need to be settled, projects must be completed down to the smallest detail.

Anyway, it seems that while Alcaraz and Sinner will develop a rivalry similar to that of Djokovic, Nadal and Federer, the backdrops will be different.