Doubles Specialists
The label “doubles specialist” has become quite commonplace over the past five to ten years as the amount of prize money for doubles has increased. Through the efforts of the extremely popular and successful, Bryan Brothers, and others, doubles has a remained a fixture in professional tennis. At the same time, there have also been attempts by some in
tennis to reduce the doubles draw sizes, number of tournaments and prize money. Except in rare situations, usually at Grand Slams, most tennis fans would not actually choose to go and watch a doubles match instead of singles. However, the matches featuring the Bryan Brothers and the Williams sisters or the odd tournaments where Rafael Nadal or Roger Federer play some doubles to gain extra match practice are a few of the doubles matches that might attract a crowd. Therefore, one is tempted again to raise the question of whether so much prize money should be going into doubles draws. Clearly, doubles belongs in professional tennis, but should the amount of prize money for doubles more closely match the fan, TV and sponsor interest in doubles matches?
“Doubles specialists” are all consummate professional athletes and talented tennis players, albeit usually with one or two weaknesses which have prevented them from achieving similar success in singles. The doubles matches at most tournaments are now played with no-ad scoring leading to a “tie-break” point to decide the games, as well as often a super-tiebreaker to decide the match (in place of a third set). Therefore, doubles specialists deal with pressure points in a match on a routine basis, but also rarely have to play long matches. Not surprisingly, the average age of the members of the elite eight men’s doubles teams in London for the Barclays ATP World Tour Final was 31 and a 1/2 and for the women in Doha for the Sony Ericsson Championships was almost 30 with five players 35 or older between both tournaments!
The top sixteen men who comprised the elite eight doubles teams all earned over $300,000 in 2009 and seven earned between $500,000 and $1.2 million. The average “salary” for the top male doubles players was $582,000 in 2009. On the women’s side, the top four doubles teams at the 2009 Sony Ericsson Championships in Doha included several singles stars who also excel in doubles, i.e. Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Samantha Stosur and Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez, as well as Nuria Llagostera Vives who is currently ranked 147th in singles (she was ranked 70th a year ago). As a result, this year there were actually only three female doubles specialists in the year-end Championships, i.e. thirty-year-old, Cara Black, thirty-three year old, Liezel Huber and thirty-eight year old, Rennae Stubbs. In 2009, Black and Huber earned $727,000 and $753,000 respectively, while Stubbs took home $342,000. In the end, being a doubles specialist is clearly not a bad way to earn a living for a long time…
“Doubles specialists” are all consummate professional athletes and talented tennis players, albeit usually with one or two weaknesses which have prevented them from achieving similar success in singles. The doubles matches at most tournaments are now played with no-ad scoring leading to a “tie-break” point to decide the games, as well as often a super-tiebreaker to decide the match (in place of a third set). Therefore, doubles specialists deal with pressure points in a match on a routine basis, but also rarely have to play long matches. Not surprisingly, the average age of the members of the elite eight men’s doubles teams in London for the Barclays ATP World Tour Final was 31 and a 1/2 and for the women in Doha for the Sony Ericsson Championships was almost 30 with five players 35 or older between both tournaments!
The top sixteen men who comprised the elite eight doubles teams all earned over $300,000 in 2009 and seven earned between $500,000 and $1.2 million. The average “salary” for the top male doubles players was $582,000 in 2009. On the women’s side, the top four doubles teams at the 2009 Sony Ericsson Championships in Doha included several singles stars who also excel in doubles, i.e. Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Samantha Stosur and Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez, as well as Nuria Llagostera Vives who is currently ranked 147th in singles (she was ranked 70th a year ago). As a result, this year there were actually only three female doubles specialists in the year-end Championships, i.e. thirty-year-old, Cara Black, thirty-three year old, Liezel Huber and thirty-eight year old, Rennae Stubbs. In 2009, Black and Huber earned $727,000 and $753,000 respectively, while Stubbs took home $342,000. In the end, being a doubles specialist is clearly not a bad way to earn a living for a long time…
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