THE tennisreporters.net NEWSLETTER: TUESDAY, JUNE 24, NO. 35

ATP: IMTA membership going soft
Blake quits group; IMTA: we won't wait forever for ATP to end Slam negotiations

By Matthew Cronin
tennisreporters.net

FROM WIMBLEDON – With the ATP grabbing all the headlines due to its hard core negotiations with the Grand Slams over increasing both prize and promotional money, the breakaway International Men's Tennis Association has slid into the background.

The ATP's Weller Evans believes that the IMTA will slowly fade into the sunset and also stated that the IMTA's membership of 60 members is soft, saying that many players have told him that they made the wrong move in signing up for the organization or were told what they wanted to hear in order to get them to put pen to paper.

"The doubles guys were told that the IMTA would work for doubles players interests and some guys were told to sign up because their friends did," Evans said.

IMTA President Wayne Ferreira denies the charge and says his organization is not at risk.

"We don't know what goes on inside the ATP and the ATP doesn't know what goes on inside the IMTA," Ferreira told tennisreporters.net.

Blake quits group

Susan Mullane/Camerawork USA, Inc.

However, James Blake, who originally signed up with the IMTA, is no longer part of the organization, telling tr.net that he misunderstood its mission.

"The way it is being pursued wasn't what I signed up for," Blake said. "It wasn't going in the right direction and it was going to be counterproductive. Maybe they will make some or maybe they will just dissolve. We'll see if the ATP cooperates more. I thought the IMTA would work together with the ATP and that the IMTA was about giving the players more information, letting us know what was on the table in negotiations and having someone more in the know, like a businessman or union leader in other sports. Then I found out that's not the only thing they are interested in and that they are interested in going against the ATP in a lot of things."

Ferreira stays optimistic
The South African Ferreira believes that the future of the IMTA looks bright as long as its members stay the course.

"I think to help improve the game our players will realize it will important for them to be unified," he said. " The ATP puts emphasis on player unification to go after the Grand Slams money and the IMTA players also have to stay to unified to make sure they get what they want out of the ATP."

Ferreira is well aware of the fact that if the IMTA stays in shadows while the ATP negotiates with the Slams, that it may wait itself out of existence. One of its the IMTA's key members, Yevgeny Kafelnikov, was quite vocal at the packed ATP's Wimbledon meeting, urging members to keep unified in negotiating with the Slams.

Some 80 players have signed a document saying they are willing to play at alternate tournaments should ATP CEO Mark Miles not be successful in getting more money from the Slams. However, should the boycott happen, it will likely occur sometime next year, not at the '03 US Open. Ferreira says that his organization is keeping a careful watch on the proceedings.

"We have to wait and see what happens, but we won't wait too long," he said. "The IMTA has to be around because if the ATP does get the money, the IMTA has to be very careful about seeing what they do with the money. The players should stay unified and make sure the money goes in the right direction."

Both Ferreira and Blake agreed that should the Slams decide to give the ATP more cash, most it should not go into increased prize money, but into promoting the game on a global scale.

"Prize money is important but promotion and things like pensions and improving the game is important as well," Ferreira said. "Tennis is in a bit of trouble right now."

While Ferreira is stressing unity, he says he wouldn't join in a boycott of Wimbledon next year because he's aiming to break the record of consecutive Grand Slams played. He's at 51 now and will bust it at the '04 US Open, should he stay healthy.

"For more own selfish reasons, I probably wouldn't boycott because I'm on the run to break the record," he said. "I agree with the ATP about getting the money and I hope they use it wisely to promote the game."