AN ATP MASTERS SERIES EVENT
11th - 19th OCTOBER
ATP News : 2005
Masters Series Madrid suspends doubles competition
The tournament has decided to suspend the doubles competition in support of the ATP and it’s Board members that have been sued by leading doubles tennis players
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Madrid, 4th october. The organisers of the Masters Series Madrid have decided to put on hold the doubles competition at this year’s event until the antitrust lawsuit brought by 45 doubles players against the ATP and its Board of Directors Members is withdrawn or resolved. The lawsuit alleges that the proposed new ATP rules aiming doubles circuit only favour the Top singles players. On September 1st the best tennis doubles players in the world led by Bob & Mike Bryan, Mark Knowles, Daniel Nestor, Mahesh Bhupathi, Graydon Oliver and Richard Barrer, filed, in a Texas federal court, a lawsuit against the ATP and it’s seven Board Members declaring that the proposed new ATP rules to aid doubles circuit would actually rig tournaments in favour of singles players, turning the doubles matches into marketing tools to promote the star-studded singles circuit. The law suit is brought against the ATP and each one of its Board of Directors Members. Former doubles player Tomas Carbonell from Spain, former Brazil’s Davis Cup captain Ricardo Acioly and Bob Brett are Board members in representation of the players. Charlie Pasarell, Graham Pearce and Patrice Dominguez represent the tournaments; together with retiring CEO Mark Miles also seat in the Board and are defendants in this suit. “We believe that the ATP new rules will help the doubles grow and take this great competition out of the dark hole is in at the moment. Doubles matches at ATP tournaments around the world go on unnoticed, attracting very small crowds. By making it more accessible to Top singles players, with a new format and short matches we feel that this competition will become more attractive to the fans” declares Gerard Tsobanian, General Manager at the Masters Series Madrid. “We consider that the lawsuit filed by these 45 doubles players makes no sense and therefore it is not coherent for us to organise the doubles draw this year in Madrid with these same players while they are in the middle of a lawsuit against the ATP, of which we are members”. If the lawsuit is not resolved by the beginning of the tournament, the organization of the Masters Series Madrid will cancel the doubles competition and will donate 50% of the doubles prize money (170,000 €) to the ATP Player’s Retirement Plan The Masters Series Madrid is part of the ATP Masters Series, the elite group constituted by the nine most important tournaments of the professional calendar. This category corresponds to the prizes and points to be distributed and that assures listing of the best players of the world. Three number ones of the world are included in the list of champions: Andre Agassi (2002), Juan Carlos Ferrero (2003) and Marat Safin (2004). |