Matt Fitzgerald: The ATP and WTA working in tandem has increased—at least on the surface—since the tours reopened in August 2020, and the Netflix series will help further package the sport as one product to new audiences. The upcoming United Cup, which supplanted a men’s only team event Down Under, could be another sign.
But…
In 2022, WTA No. 1 Iga Swiatek won three different WTA 500 events: they paid out $380,000, $93,823 and $116,340. ATP No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz won two different ATP 500s: they paid out $317,400 and €467,150 (approx. $495,520). The 2022 ATP Finals put forth a purse of $14.75 million; the 2019 WTA Finals approached that figure in its Shenzhen debut at $14 million, but the year-end championships has dropped significantly to $5 million the past two years.
The wall may have a crack—it’s hardly reached the point of collapsing.