Reilly Opelka has launched a brutal attack on doubles players after the ATP Tour announced plans to cut their prize money and draw sizes at tournaments. The proposals, discussed in a meeting at Wimbledon on Tuesday, would halve the size of doubles draws from 2028, leaving only 16 teams at ATP Masters 1000 events and just eight at smaller tournaments. The percentage of prize money for doubles would drop from 20 per cent to 10 per cent, with the funds redistributed to singles players.
Opelka's Social Media Tirade
World No.115 Opelka, who withdrew from Wimbledon this year, hit out on social media, naming only three doubles players—Marcel Granollers, Horacio Zeballos, and Edouard Vasselin—as not 'the problem.' He stated: 'The problem isn't doubles... it's the doubles players.' He added: 'It's not rocket science… nobody watches because they lack talent.'
Doubles Players Fight Back
British doubles player and former Wimbledon doubles champion Henry Patten responded by posting a picture of one of Opelka's matches with a sparse crowd. A group of leading doubles players issued a statement: 'Doubles isn't a carnival sideshow. It is one of the most successful parts of tennis… Yet the impact of the ATP's proposals will be to diminish the sporting excellence that is professional doubles.' They warned that players outside the top 30 would find it 'impossible to make a living.'
ATP's Justification
An ATP spokesperson said: 'We are assessing the doubles product, draw sizes and player compensation distribution with the aim of creating a more sustainable long-term model while maintaining doubles' important role on the tour.' The review could enable increased investment in early-round singles prize money.
Opelka's History of Controversy
Opelka previously called doubles players 'failed singles players' in 2025 and joked about scrapping doubles. He wrote on Instagram: 'They don't sell a single ticket, they take up practice courts/physios/resources, they don't turn a profit, they complain that they don't make enough $$. That's pretty greedy behaviour if you ask me.'
