'Not a carnival sideshow' - doubles players fear cutbacks

'Not a carnival sideshow' - doubles players fear cutbacksImage source, PA MediaImage caption, British pair Julian Cash (left) and Lloyd Glasspool won the men's doubles at Wimbledon last yearByRussell FullerTennis correspondent at WimbledonPublished16 minutes agoA group of leading doubles players have accused the men's ATP Tour of trying to "end doubles as a viable profession".In a meeting at Wimbledon on Tuesday, the tour proposed changes which could include halving the size of doubles draws from 2028.That would mean only 16 teams being able to compete at ATP 1000 events, and just eight at the smaller tournaments on tour.The percentage of prize money devoted to doubles players could fall from 20% to 10% - with the money redistributed to singles players."Doubles isn't a carnival sideshow," the players said in a statement."It is one of the most successful parts of tennis - integral to the amateur game - with the potential to do so much more."Yet the impact of the ATP's proposals will be to diminish the sporting excellence that is professional doubles and turn off the pipeline of pro doubles players and the entire infrastructure that supports them."Doubles is not an afterthought we fell into. It has always been part of this sport's identity, not a discount version of it."At the first Masters 1000 event of the year in Indian Wells, Jannik Sinner received $1.151m (£860,000) for winning the title. Guido Andreozzi and Manuel Guinard won $234,000 (£175,000) each for winning the doubles.The players argue the changes mean there would be no future for doubles players ranked outside the world's top 30."Do the maths on what that means for anyone outside the top 30: it will be impossible to make a living," the statement continued."This is not a minor adjustment. It is a plan to end doubles as a viable profession, dressed up as a cost-saving measure - and it is being pushed through with...