This week's Citi Open in Washington will witness history being made as the ATP announced its pilot program to enhance the fan experience of doubles tennis.
Significant reforms have occurred in men's tennis in the last 18 months. The ATP has introduced a bonus pool to reward top players and is also trialing a new financial support program to support lower-ranked players. There were also transformational changes to the Next Gen brand.
In what appears to be a series of groundbreaking moves, the ATP is looking to amplify the popularity of doubles tennis among fans worldwide. Doubles tennis has taken quite the beating when it comes to viewership and prize money allocation.
The men's governing body confirmed that select doubles players will wear microphones in matches as part of the initiation phase of the 2024 ATP Tour doubles trial.
The ATP is trying to overcome some of the drawbacks that have resulted in waning popularity in doubles. A few months ago, it trialed a new format for doubles matches, one of which is to have a standard schedule and introduction of "advanced entries" of more singles players into the doubles draw.
This was effected at the time of the Madrid Open, where the doubles draw kicked off in the second week of the tournament from Tuesday and running through Saturday.
ATP Player Council member and former doubles world no. 1 Wesley Koolhof said, regarding the new changes, "It will be a bit more lively. It will be nicer to watch, more entertaining. That's what we're trying to produce, to entertain the crowd a bit more and to attract the crowd."
At this year's Citi Open, the ATP is making even more strides "to enhance the fan and broadcast experience" by allowing players to wear wireless microphones and making their insights into tactics audible during live viewing.
Curious tennis fans will get firsthand experience of what doubles players discuss before or after a point. Obviously, players have been mic'd up before in practice, most notably at Wimbledon and in exhibition events.
But the ATP hopes this latest development will increase the demand for doubles tennis, enable more extensive coverage, and increase viewer interest.
In a statement on ATPTour.com, Chief Sporting Officer Ross Hutchins believes the player-worn microphones will serve as a "transformative opportunity" for all involved in the sport and that this is a "continuation" into the 2024 ATP Doubles Trial project.
"The continuation of the 2024 ATP Doubles Trial with the introduction of player-worn microphones during competition is a transformative opportunity for players, fans, and the sport as a whole."
"This will provide fans live, never-before-seen insight into tactics players use during critical points of a match, while also providing interesting glimpses into the lighter, funny moments of the action. Thanks to Mark Ein and the Mubadala Citi DC Open for their vision and collaboration on this project. We look forward to an impactful week in Washington."
Moreover, additional changes that will also be trialed at the ATP 500 event in doubles this week will include adhering to a maximum of 21 seconds between all points and 60-second changeovers with time called after 40 seconds. Also, each doubles team can request a 10-second time extension on their serve once per set, including tie-breaks.
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