Looking back, looking forward. With the 2024 ATP season in the books, Joel Drucker has nine notable storylines to consider over the next few weeks—before the next year of men’s tennis begins. (On mobile devices, scroll down to read more ATP takeways; on desktop, you’ll see additional entires on the left side of your screen.)
ATP Chairman Andrea Gaudenzi faces a wide range of topics. Some are perennial, such as concerns about variances in balls, court speeds, and, at least among top players, what they perceive as an overly demanding schedule, particularly now that more Masters 1000 events are spread out over a two-week period.
Then there are also new topics, most notably the increasing presence of Saudi Arabia in professional tennis. Factor in this that the Masters 1000 stops in Miami and Madrid, each owned by IMG, are both strongly rumored to be for sale.
Might Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), already an ATP sponsor, seek to acquire one or even two of these prime properties? Would such a purchase trigger a relocation, be it geographically or perhaps on the tennis calendar (such as a Saudia Arabia-based Masters 1000 event held in January)? Or will a new owner group seek to upgrade the existing facilities?
Added to this are constant rumors about the overall configuration of the ATP Tour, be it on its own or, as has frequently been discussed, in some sort of partnership with the WTA.
