Pro player's father reveals all the bad things around the ITF World Tour
Alongside massive Davis Cup changes, ITF had embraced a colossal reform of the lower-tier professional tennis, launching ITF World Tennis Tour and establishing ITF World Tennis Rankings that contain all the players who have failed to find themselves on the reduced ATP and WTA lists on December 31. With the goal to improve to life on the Tour for those ranked below the 30tth spot, ITF tried to clear the path for the talented juniors and allow them to reach Challengers more easily and quickly, cooperating with the ATP that increased Challengers draws to 48 places, offering hospitality and better conditions for the players overall.
The problem is, the majority of the competitors (from both the ATP and WTA Tour) who have lost their ATP/WTA points will struggle a lot to make the ground and pass $15,000 events that carry no ATP/WTA points since the start of the year. In addition, the qualifying draws at Challenger are reduced to just four spots and the number of tournaments on the ITF circuit has also diminished, together with the qualifying draws as well. The players from all around the world are deeply concerned about these changes in the rankings structure, feeling abandoned by ITF and having no clue how they will find the spot in the draws and get a chance to play some matches before even thinking about making a living from that.
Peter Heller is currently the second-best player on the ITF World Tennis Rankings after winning six Futures from eight finals in 2018 but instead of the place in top-300 that puts him close to the position in the Grand Slam qualifying draws, Peter is currently ranked just inside the top-600 on the ATP list, which is a huge difference. Thanks to his ITF points, he can enter any Challenger he wants although he is yet to win a match on that level despite being 26, which makes him unhappy just like the majority of the tennis world outside the sparkling venues and big-prize-money events.
Peter's father sent an extended latter to ITF, addressing all the problems and issues they have caused with radical changes without testing them first or at least asking more players for the opinion:
Dear ITF,
When I read that the biggest survey in ITF’s history with 55.000 people consulted was made to find out that only a few players can break even, I had a big smile on my face. Was a survey with 55.000 people necessary to find that out? Did not everybody know this before? Did not everybody know, that the prize money in entry-level tournaments is not high enough to cover the costs of a player? Did not everybody know, that there is a wish for greater rewards and reduced costs in every player?
It seems the ITF executives didn’t know that before, but after a survey with 55.000 people they definitely did and they knew that reform was drastically required. From this moment, every player, coach, parent, everybody involved in the tennis circuit had a great hope that things would get much better now. Everybody was sure that the ITF would provide a reform that helps players to grow. More money, fewer costs, better conditions for players, more chances to compete and develop as a player and as a person. There was great hope to succeed as a player, hope for better opportunities and possibilities for everybody who loves the tennis sport and is willing to work hard every day regardless of age and financial situation.
But all the hope and all the dreams were destroyed in one moment when the new system was introduced. No single issue has gotten better with the reform, nearly everything is worse than before. Since 2019, main draw players even have to pay an entry fee to compete in the main draw of a tournament, that’s really a shame. No bigger prize money, no reduced costs, no better conditions at the tournaments, nothing but broken dreams and thousands of players worldwide unable to compete. If the reform intended to help those players and save costs by preventing them from competing, at least one goal is reached. But let me get serious again, the situation is too severe to make bad jokes.
What might be even worse than broken dreams is broken trust, trust in the ITF, trust in a federation whose only task should be to help players all over the world to perform at their best in the sport they love and to help the tennis sport to grow in meaning and to get to the next level. Thousands of players are complaining and expressing their needs and sorrows, providing valid arguments and facts that nobody can deny unless he is entirely ignorant. I don’t think the ITF is ignorant, but what is the reaction of the ITF? Where and what are the well-founded arguments of the ITF?
As I read Jackie Nesbitt, the Executive director of the ITF said that it would not at all be optimal to go back. Maybe it is not optimal, but it is much better. A system with a massive limitation of possible players can never produce better results. A system with two different rankings can never produce better results. Let me try to explain why:
There are four reserved slots in the main draw of a Challenger for ITF players and three in the qualifying draw. If there are three Challengers in one week, you have to be number 21 in the ITF ranking to be sure to get a slot. A look at the ranking shows, that to be number 20 in the ranking you have to win four or five tournaments and score more good results in other events, which is not easy.
If you have managed to do so, you can compete in Challenger tournaments starting from ZERO. You now have to play as many events as possible to collect enough points to climb in the ATP ranking so high that you do not need your ITF points anymore. Assumed you manage to climb to number 400 on the ATP list within one year, which is not that bad. What to do now? Being number 400 ATP - it is tough to compete in a Challenger regularly (last directly accepted player at this week Challengers is ranked 365th) - you have to go back to ITF level and start from ZERO because in the meanwhile you have lost all your ITF points, leaving you trying to climb in the ranking while losing your ATP points.. - or quit tennis!
A short glance at the 15k tournament in Loule at the beginning of March with one day left until withdrawal deadline shows my son Peter who is world no. 2 in the ITF ranking (he slipped from 271 to currently 589 on the ATP list with the reform) on place eight as an alternate. In Turkey, the same week, he is no. 4 in qualifying. Isn’t that all absolutely crazy? A player who has won six Futures tournaments and lost three times in the final within the last 12 months has to struggle to get into a 15k event! Does anybody really believe this new system is a better pathway for young players? Does anybody believe this system reduces the costs for young players to get through? Does anybody think this system motivates young players?
Don’t get me wrong. I do not complain because of my son. He always had a plan B besides tennis, achieving his A-levels and studying psychology at a distance university with significant success, so I am not worried about his future. He had and still has great years on the Tour, both as junior or pro. He made experiences he never wants to miss and played in so many countries all over the world. Peter was number 20 in Juniors and about one year after playing on the professional tour he had won two Futures tournaments and was in the top-500 of the ATP world ranking.
Not to make it to the top was not a problem of the wrong system but rather a lack of supportive people with enough know-how, nearly no help from the federation after leaving the juniors, not enough luck at the right time, but most of all injuries. But despite all the injuries he always had a chance to come back in the old system. After not being able to play for about 18 months and two wrist surgeries, Peter dropped from 415 ATP to 1755 ATP in May 2017. Within the following 18 months, he climbed to 271 ATP (to drop to 600 with the changes made). Would this be possible in the newly-introduced system? What chances a player has now after an injury? How hard is it now to come back?
I complain and raise my voice for all the players, parents and coaches whose chances are much worse at the moment than ever before. With so many arguments against the new system delivered by so many people, I do not understand how anybody can say that she ‘doesn’t see any convincing argument in favor of a return to the old system’ and not name any single argument for the new system. How can an executive of the ITF say: ‘What we like about pre-qualifying is it’s merit-based’ and: ‘Those who get rewards and opportunities at the next level have earned that position, so I think it’s a very good concept.’ Is this the official position of the ITF? Didn’t the ITF want to help players to save money by reducing the duration of a tournament to 7 days?
To very many people it seems, that with the new reform the ITF punishes thousands of honest players, who would never bet and cheat, whose only dream it is to compete and succeed, because of a small number of cheaters because of the money the ITF receives for selling the data. I am sure cheaters will always find a way regardless of whether there are 1.000 or 10.000 players on the tour, so the only way to stop cheating is to stop selling data.
The ‘tennis crowd’ all over the world is waiting for immediate answers and action. People are not willing to wait and see what will happen. Please tell us: What are the convincing arguments of the ITF for the new system? How shall this system deliver better for players? Why not go back to the old system and improve it? Why wait and what for?
As a person and as a businessman I have made a lot of mistakes in my life. Mistakes are always made if change happens, they are a great source for improvement. But I have learned that it is best to admit and correct errors as soon as possible to prevent more significant damage. If you do so, you often end up better and stronger than before. So please ITF correct your mistakes as soon as possible to prevent tennis from huge damage.
Best regards, Peter Heller
from Tennis World USA http://bit.ly/2GQRFf9
No comments