ATP Chief Brad Drewett Has First Meeting With the Players

Written by: Staff on 18th January 2012

ATP Chief Brad Drewett Has First Meeting With the Players |

Newly appointed ATP World Tour chief Brad Drewett is acutely aware his first six months in the job will be a demanding period with rumors of player unrest and the potential of a strike at either the French Open or Wimbledon darkening the horizon.

The 53 year-old Australian, officially in office since January 1 following the departure of Adam Helfant, presided over the annual Players Meeting at Melbourne’s Sofitel Hotel last week and holds the view the contestants warrant a bigger share of the revenue accrued by men’s tennis.

But while Drewett acknowledges many players are disillusioned over scheduling and prize money, he maintains men’s tennis has never been healthier. However, regardless of Alex Bogomolov Jr’s infamous weekend Tweet calling for strike action, Drewett insists any such talk is pure sensationalism.

Drewett revealed players would receive a 20% increase in prize money from ATP World Tour events over the next three years. However the main financial areas of contention, where strike action could be initiated, are the four Grand Slam events. Drewett said: “I’ve read the articles. I think they’re quite sensational in lots of ways. I’m obviously not going to go there.”

He insisted he was not dismayed or concerned by the tone of dialogue at Saturday’s meeting and insists an open and rigorous dialogue between the ATP World Tour’s administration, the tournaments and the players is healthy.

“I saw it as a very constructive meeting where I want to encourage guys to speak openly in that forum, speak openly with me,” said Drewett. “There are frustrations out there on certain points within the game. I plan to take them on board.

“A lot of the issues that are around now have been around for a while. They’re not new issues. You hear discussion about scheduling, about prize money. I heard the players very clearly the other night about that topic.”

“But I think the game is clearly in a great spot. That doesn’t mean there’s not always going to be some issues on the side. That’s for me to listen.”

Drewett, a former Top 40 player who retired in 1990 before moving into administration, also said he had never known the top players to be so engaged with the state of the sport.

“I can’t remember ever in the history of the game—maybe right back at the beginning of pro tennis it was different—but certainly in the last 20 or 30 years, when you’ve had a player like Roger Federer as the president of the Players’ Council, Rafa as the vice president,” he said.

“Their level of understanding about the detail of any issue, whether it be the Grand Slams, scheduling, calendar, prize money, is like it’s never been before. I see that as a positive.

“I think that’s a great starting point for me dealing with these issues.”