After explaining last month that the Challenger circuit had no real future, causing many negative reactions, Andrea Gaudenzi, the boss of ATP, backpedaled this Wednesday in a recent interview relayed by our colleagues from Puntodebreak. And this is the minimum as his words were quite implausible.
“We have to start by making it clear that for us the Challenger Tour is vital to the success of tennis. It is the gateway to the ATP circuit, without which our sport could not prosper. I know firsthand how difficult this level of tennis is, as I have played many Challengers in my career. I have absolute respect for extremely hard working players and tournament promoters at this level. […] The Challenger circuit has been viable for over 30 years, so I have no doubts that it will produce remarkable improvements, especially in the income of tennis players. In a typical year, the Challenger Circuit hosts around 150 tournaments offering around $ 12 million in prizes. This is more than enough, but very few players make a living at this level of tennis. The various instances of tennis must unite in order to redistribute the growth from the top of our sport to the lower levels ”, said the Italian boss of the association of professional tennis players who finally seems to come to his senses.
Posted on Wednesday January 12, 2022 at 5:20 PM
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