The ATP OneVision strategic plan is moving into phase one. The idea is to take the sport to the next level from 2023.
What is the ATP OneVision Strategic Plan? It introduces a set of reforms across the tour to align interests between tournaments and players. OneVision is made up of two independent phases and centres on three core principles: driving unity, enhancing the fan experience, and leveraging scalable growth opportunities in media, data, content and tech.
Andrea Gaudenzi, ATP Chairman, said on the ATP Tour website: “Our sport has huge upside and stands on the cusp of a new era of growth. Fulfilling our potential requires us to be united, pursue new growth opportunities and focus on what matters most: the fans. OneVision gives us a game plan to do just that. Its launch represents a game-changing moment for the Tour and a huge collective effort across our sport. I’m incredibly excited for what’s to come.”
OneVision Phase One – Tournament Changes
Coming into play from January 2023, it introduces major reforms and game-changing benefits.
For the first time in the history of the ATP Tour, audited tournament financials will provide full transparency to players on the economics of tournaments. In tandem, a groundbreaking 50/50 profit sharing formula will align the interests of players and tournaments in growing the game as partners in success.
Five additional top-tier tournaments will grow from eight-day (56 Draw) to 12-day (96 Draw) events over the coming seasons, in line with the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells and the Miami Open presented by Itau:
– Mutua Madrid Open (from 2023)
– Internazionali BNL d’Italia (Rome, from 2023)
– Rolex Shanghai Masters (from 2023)
– National Bank Open presented by Rogers (Canada, from 2025)
– Western & Southern Open (Cincinnati, from 2025)
This expansion is in turn set to deliver an immediate uplift at the Masters 1000 level, with prize money at the five expanded top tier events increasing by more than 35 per cent between 2022 and 2025. The year-end Bonus Pool is projected to almost double in the near term and will now be distributed to the Top 30 players (up from 12). Additionally, a brand-new element of profit sharing based on the financial performance of the tournaments, has the potential to provide further financial support to more than 140 players.
Media and Phase Two
ATP words this part as “aggregation of tournament media rights into ATP Media, the sales, production and distribution arm of the ATP, and the recently formed Tennis Data Innovations, an entity fully dedicated to the professional exploitation of data, will enable the Tour to provide an enhanced integrated experience for fans worldwide.”
I think in layman’s lingo this means that a stronger ownership and drive across ATP media is to be expected. Sports is a lot about stats these days and the Tennis Data Innovations will curate and package data to make the sport more interesting.
In general, it’s about a digital transformation, which will shift the Tour away from “over-reliance on ticketing”, for example.
Tennis needs stronger collaboration in between the many different organisations: ATP, WTA, ITF and the Grand Slams. We will see a joint Netflix series and hopefully less fragmentation in between the organisations.
