Defending Wimbledon champions Lloyd Glasspool and Julian Cash have stated they are prepared to take legal action against the ATP over controversial plans to drastically reduce doubles draw sizes starting in 2028. The proposed changes would cut Masters 1000 doubles fields from 32 to 16 pairs, and 500 and 250 events from 16 to eight pairs. Additionally, the prize money split between singles and doubles would shift from 80:20 to 90:10, further reducing compensation for doubles players.
Players United in Opposition
Glasspool and Cash, who won the men's doubles title at Wimbledon last year, expressed their outrage after being informed of the plans by ATP Player Council representatives on Tuesday, just one day before their opening match at this year's Wimbledon. "Their way to tackle it is to just get rid of all doubles players and have singles guys play doubles, which I don't think is the right decision," said Glasspool, 32. Cash, 29, added, "It’s something that all the doubles players are united on. We hope it doesn't go as far as legal action but if it has to then I know that we're all on board to do so."
Lack of Consultation Draws Criticism
Doubles world No. 1 Henry Patten, who won Wimbledon in 2024 alongside Harri Heliovaara, criticized the ATP for making decisions behind closed doors without player input. "It's very difficult because all of those decisions have taken place behind closed doors, even the ATP Council members - [Andrea] Vavassori and [Marcelo] Arévalo - were unaware of these plans," Patten said. "It makes dialogue extremely difficult when those decisions and discussions are happening behind closed doors in the ATP. There's a lot of uncertainty right now about whether it’s going to be viable to be a professional doubles player after 2028."
Impact on Future Players
Patten, 30, noted that he would never have had the opportunity to rise to his current level under the proposed system. "It's odd to me that at a time when the ATP is doing well financially, they're choosing to cut the jobs of tennis players and make the sport more elitist," he said. "I never dreamed of doing this and I wish every kid who plays tennis has the opportunity to compete at Wimbledon or the US Open. With these changes the number of kids that are able to achieve those things is going to be really diminished."
ATP's Stance
In a statement, the ATP Tour explained that the changes to the doubles model are intended to enable increased singles prize money, helping more players meet the costs of competing. The statement added: "Any potential changes will be developed through close consultation with players, tournaments and the ATP Board with any decisions made in the best long-term interests of the sport and its consumers."
