A professional is one who is dedicated to a particular craft, is an authority in the same and an expert at its execution.

In this world everyone is a professional and as such, one has to play by the policies that have been established in their trade and business. Similarly tennis professionals are the ones who occupy the tennis world and abide by the rules that have been laid down by the governing body.

Tennis is a business, period. Let us not romanticise the sport because it involves big money, high viewership stakes and a lot of organisation. Let us leave the professional circuit, even organising a junior non-national circuit tournament involves heavy strategising and fund raising.

'It is high time professional tennis players realised . . . the ATP is not just a governing body but also a business set-up'


At this point, tennis no longer is a sport but a business, and players treat it the same way. A lot of professionals may challenge this thought saying that there is a lot of passion involved in the game.

Then again, a number-crunching financial executive is also passionate about numbers and his job and yes, he is also a professional.

It is high time professional tennis players realised the same and further, that the ATP is not just a governing body but also a business set-up. It deals with a lot of economics and it floats on a forecasted profit margin.

The ATP Tour organises a lot of tournaments each year. This year, under the able umbrella of the ATP, 69 tournaments are being organised, which includes the four Grand Slams, the World Team Championships, the Beijing Olympic tournament and the Masters Cup events. The combined value of these tournaments runs into billions.

With so much at stake, the ATP cannot take chances with their players. Yes, the gruelling schedule should be made a little less tiresome but the ATP exists to sell tennis and popularise the game across every country in the world. Tournaments are the only way to bring the sport to those corners of the world where the sport is marginalised.

One man’s loss is another man’s gain in tennis. If a player does not show up at a tournament, there are about 100 more at that very moment to take his or her place. Tennis is a ruthless sport where you cannot take chances and sit prettily on your accomplishments while still active. Testament to that are the levels of fitness that players like Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic heap on themselves.

As a professional, you are expected to show up where you are needed, with the exception of circumstances beyond your control. As a professional, you are obliged to perform your duties while you gain the fruits of your labour.

As it is said that “You cannot enjoy beautiful roads unless you pay the taxes”, it holds true here, too. A profession will not give you what you deserve unless you commit yourself to what the profession demands of you.

Tennis professionals claim they are different because their profession demands physical activity. Then again you cannot expect to equate your labour to that of any office-going professional who has to finish lengthy reports and reach the estimated growth figures every month!

The pay in tennis is good as well. A second-round trip to a Grand Slam offers you $25,000. That is more than what a fresh MBA graduate earns in a year after about 15 years of back-breaking academic work! If tennis professionals are set to earn so much, then they had better acknowledge the rules of the ATP.

If it helps, the professionals must choose their tournaments wisely so as to peak when needed and not injure themselves. Players need to look at quality and not quantity as they often do, playing tournaments needlessly when they can recuperate and improve their games.

They need to realise that they cannot do without the ATP and rather than complaining, they can use the time to choose their way into the tour with astuteness.

It's time for the pros to pull up their socks and become the professionals that the tour demands of them.