"A lot of information is super manipulated" - Opelka on ATP prize money and transparency
ATP
Reilly Opelka has spoken out against the way the ATP awards prize money. The American player suggested that "a lot of information is manipulated."
The former ATP World No. 17 player believes that some of the information is not necessarily correct when it comes to the prize money. Opelka outlined his skepticism about the ATP's prize money numbers when speaking to The Craig Shapiro Tennis Podcast.
According to the American player, the ATP and the tournament organizers usually say by how much the overall prize money increased. However, according to him, that's not always the money that the players will end up receiving.
"A lot of times they like to... you'll see on the information sheet that a lot of those increases are from 2020 to 2021. So, a lot of information is super manipulated."
"Let's say, I mean the Miami Open prize money is increased by however percentage this year than 2021. It's up by a huge number but it's manipulated information a lot of the time, there's increased prize money but there's just no new money, it's just repurposed."
Opelka also criticized the ATP for not being open enough. The American player wants more transparency. He feels that's how not only the sport but also business moves forward.
"I would fight for transparency. I would want transparency all around in this sport. That's how sports move forward, businesses move forward."
Opelka is one of the players who isn't afraid to say what he thinks about certain issues. Earlier in 2023, the American wanted to get rid of doubles tennis in the future, which was not well received by his fellow players.
Opelka has been sidelined from professional tennis since August 2022 due to ongoing injuries. He was due to return at the Delray Beach Open in February but pulled out due to a lack of fitness.
