The PTPA kicked off 2023 in Melbourne connecting with players, coaches, agents, and other industry stakeholders ahead of the Australian Open.
While in Melbourne, the PTPA hosted a player meeting focused on the current state of the tennis industry, the Association's core priorities for improving the industry as a player-only advocacy group, and progress made since Executive Director Ahmad Nassar's hiring in August 2022.
Scroll to view the PTPA's 2023 Australian Open Players Presentation
Tennis is one of the most popular sports in the world, with a global fanbase and player pool.
However, the current economic structure of tennis does not allow the sport's popularity to translate to higher earning potential for its players. This effects all players, from the top of the rankings to the bottom.
For tennis' biggest names, earning potential still lags significantly behind the earning potential of stars from other sports. Scroll down to see how the on-court earnings of 2022's top men's player compared to the on-court earnings of players from other sports.
For lower-ranked pros, tennis' economic challenges can result in players actually losing money out-of-pocket during a professional season due to factors like travel costs, medical costs, and a lack of guaranteed base income.
To further understand the economic disparities between tennis and other sports, take a look at the gross revenue comparisons below. Despite its popularity worldwide, the sport of tennis has not been able to monetize to its fullest potential.
In addition to generating significantly lower revenues, only a small fraction of those revenues are going to the professional players around which tennis' events are built.
So, how is the PTPA working to address and improve conditions for tennis players, both economically and otherwise?
The PTPA is committed to supporting players through four main avenues:
- Creation of incremental opportunities for players
- Increase in share of earnings for players
- Reduction in players' costs
- Improvement of players' life on tour
The goal: Make sure all players can earn a living competing professionally, which will create a more sustainable sport structure for current professionals and generations of players to come.
Significant progress has been made since the US Open and Executive Director Ahmad Nassar's hiring, including:
- The formation of the PTPA's inaugural Executive Committee
- The finalization of the PTPA's Official Principles and by-laws
- The growth of the PTPA team, with seven full-time staff members now working on behalf of the Association along with Ahmad Nassar
- The development of a robust business pipeline, and the negotiation of initial deal, partnership and service opportunities for players
While progress has been made, the PTPA's work is only just beginning.
We look forward to continuing to work on behalf of players and to creating new incremental opportunities for them throughout 2023 and beyond.
For more info, please contact the PTPA here.