Why this top-10 player thinks world tennis needs an overhaul

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American top-10 star Taylor Fritz has backed a tennis overhaul that would see a premium tour established for the best players only, as Tennis Australia boss Craig Tiley warns the concept still needs a lot of work.

There has been renewed discussion about simplifying the tour to as few as 14 tournaments – potentially comprising the four grand slams and 10 Masters 1000 events – and packaging them in a way that resembles the Formula 1 season.

World men’s tennis No.10 Taylor Fritz, of the United States.Credit: Getty

Tiley said on Monday there were no plans “at this stage” for a formal meeting between the sport’s seven governing bodies at next month’s Australian Open.

“The premium tour for the future of the sport has been on the table for quite a few years, and getting the sport motivated and activated to look at it more openly is something that is continuing to happen, which is exciting,” Tiley said.

“I think there’s a lot of work that’s got to be done, [and] a lot of parties have got to come together, but there is a big opportunity for the sport of tennis to deliver a product in a more co-ordinated, premium way.

“There have been attempts to do it for years, but the grand slams have done extremely well in this [premium] environment and continue to do well, and they are the times in the year when the players mobilise because this is where they want to make their most money, but also get their biggest profile globally.”

Fritz envisions many benefits from a switch to an exclusive, premium tour, which potentially would operate similar to the PGA Tour golf, where players earn a spot, leaving lower-ranked peers to compete on a separate tour, vying for the chance to move up.

“It’s a really good idea, and I think that we should have separate tours,” Fritz said.

“If you’re on the main, top tour, you should be set to play all the big events, and they should all be slightly bigger-draw events to get basically everybody in the top 100 in, and I think that’s honestly all we should play.

“You can have 14 marquee events, and it makes tennis easy to follow for fans because all you have to pay attention to is those tournaments. There’s no people getting tons of points in between events, at like 250s and 500s [level], and more than anything, there’s no crazy schedule for us players.”

Fritz will arrive in Perth this month to help the United States try to defend its United Cup title, in a brutal round-robin group against Australia, led by Alex de Minaur, and Great Britain.

The 26-year-old believes the streamlined format for that tournament, with one men’s and one women’s singles then a mixed doubles, will remove one of his country’s great advantages – depth – and make it much easier for upsets to occur.

“With the format being different, so many more things can happen, and it’s going to be a lot tougher for us to defend the title. But we are definitely still one of the top teams, so we’ll see,” he said.

“‘Demon’ [de Minaur] in Australia is going to be tough, and then [Great Britain’s] Cam [Norrie] and I have played so many times, and had so many close matches, so I’m going to have to be prepared. One of the things that’s so good about the event is I can get some high-level matches in before the Australian Open, and feel ready to go.”

A record-setting 902,312 fans attended the 2023 Australian Open, including qualifying week, and Tiley is aiming to beat that number, particularly with the tournament starting a day earlier, on Sunday, January 14.

Rafael Nadal is a confirmed starter, after being announced as a marquee signing for the lead-in event in Brisbane, but there is still major doubt on Nick Kyrgios’ involvement as he recovers from a serious wrist injury.

The 2024 Australian Open promises to be one of the strongest on record, with a number of big-name players set to use special rankings to enter after extended breaks due to injuries, mental health or pregnancy.

That group includes past winners Naomi Osaka and Angelique Kerber, and Australia’s Ajla Tomljanovic, while Caroline Wozniacki is set to receive a main draw wildcard as she continues her comeback. Four-time AO quarter-finalist Kei Nishikori could also be a wildcard contender.

Tiley did not rule out giving Bernard Tomic a qualifying wildcard, but it is considered unlikely.

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