The ATP, the governing body of the men’s professional tennis circuit, announced on Tuesday the creation in 2024 of financial insurance for the 250 best players in the world, guaranteeing them a minimum annual income, income in the event of a long injury as well as a advance on earnings for new entrants in the Top 125. At the end of each season, the ATP will guarantee each player in the Top 250 a minimum income according to the bracket of his classification, by completing the earnings up to the “ guaranteed level”.
Thus, the ATP will supplement the income of Top 100 players up to $300,000, up to $150,000 for players ranked between 101st and 175th places, and $75,000 for those ranked up to 250th place. “This insurance will allow players to plan their season with more certainty, to better focus on their game and to invest in their team”, underlines the ATP.
The organization also intends to provide financial assistance to players who would not be able “to play at least nine tournaments in a season on the ATP or Challenger circuits due to injuries”. These aids will be linked to the player’s ranking: 200,000 dollars (Top 100), 100,000 dollars (101st-175th) and 50,000 dollars (176th-250th). Finally, the body will offer an advance on winnings to players “who will enter the Top 125 for the first time”.
They will immediately have “access to funding of $200,000, paid in advance for the following season and then reimbursed by tournament winnings”. “Being a professional tennis player brings incredible rewards, but it’s a path full of pitfalls, especially at the start of your career,” Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov, a member of the players’ advisory board to the organization, said in a statement. of ATP. The program called Baseline will change everything. Knowing that we have a safety net, through a guaranteed minimum and insurance in the event of injury, will give us peace of mind and allow us to focus on our game.
The ATP circuit is regularly criticized by players for its lack of fairness between the very best whose earnings are pharaonic and the lowest ranked whose lives are made of sacrifices.
