“Shame ATP Council Moved the Dial Back”: Australian Legend Slams ATP After WTA’s Recent Announcement

Due to the pandemic, many lower-ranked players have suffered financially. Thus, the WTA took the decision to increase prize money earned at the early rounds of tournaments to help them. After seeing WTA’s effort in helping the lower-ranked players, former Australian player Paul McNamee took a dig at the ATP Player Council.

Responding to a tweet about the WTA chairman, Steve Simon’s comments on the increased prize money at the earlier rounds of the tournaments, Paul McNamee criticized the ATP Council for not emphasizing that matter for the 2021 ATP Tour. He tweeted, “I like that emphasis on early rounds and qualifying … shame (ATP) Council moved the dial back the other way recently.”

Paul McNamee slams ATP for not taking a decision for 2021 tournaments

WTA Chairman, Steve Simon in an interview with Tennis Majors spoke about the prize money changes in the WTA tournaments in 2021. To help the lower-ranked players, the prize money had been increased in the earlier rounds of the WTA tournaments, whereas the prize money has been decreased for the latter stages of the tournaments.

“There certainly will be money skewed towards the early rounds and qualifiers who have probably been hurt the most. I think it’s a credit to the players that traditionally play deeper in tournaments – the higher-ranked ones – that they’ve been willing to allow this to happen too because they’re giving on that in the end as well. It’s been as positive a process as you can have in topics no one likes to talk about.”

Paul McNamee took a dig at the council as he was unhappy with the less emphasis they were giving to increase the prize money of the early rounds of the tournaments.

The ATP Player Council has been receiving blows from World No.1 Novak Djokovic as well. The Serbian created his own players’ association as he complained that the ATP council doesn’t have a definite structure to help the players. The prize money could go on and become a decisive debate in the ATP.

WATCH: Serena Williams Does Fitness With Her Favorite Nintendo Switch Games