"The ATP was born with the intention of protecting the player, but now tennis is a business"

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Although the press conference with Alexander Zverev after his debut at this Miami Open 2025 could have focused solely on his victory, his recent poor results, or his determination to reach the world No. 1 at some point, we are in a time where the showdown between ATP and PTPA encompasses everything. Being an active member of the Players Council, the questions related to the topic were almost obligatory. Here we share Sacha's opinions on all the controversy that has arisen in recent hours, acknowledging that there is a very serious problem and that there are some areas where the tour could operate more effectively.

Victory against Fearnley

“It was a good match, a good way to start the tournament. I am happy to have improved in some aspects compared to Indian Wells, where I didn't feel good on the court at any moment. I don't think I played well there, so I hope this is the first match of many here. I want to keep playing well.”

Showdown between ATP and PTPA

“It is still too early to say what my wish is regarding all of this. Look, I think there are some valuable points to address, but I believe that players and tours should unite and not fight each other. I don't know what their main goal is, don't know what they want to come out of all this, but I strongly believe in the ATP, in a very healthy tour. The ATP has its resources, perhaps improving may cost a lot of money, but all the groundwork they have laid out cannot disappear. The danger here lies for the WTA tour, which is a bit more fragile. Maybe they don't have the same resources as the ATP to battle this. But yes, there are definitely some interesting points to address.”

What are these points?

“I'm not going into details, I just think there are some things that the tours can do better together. That's why I am on the Players Council, to try to change it. Again, I think the tours should unite more and stand by the players, listen to their opinions, the players are the soul of the tour, it's a shame they have separated in these recent times. That's why I say I am on the Players Council, I hope to help the ATP do things much better. This is very important.”

Evolution of the ATP over time

“The ATP was born as a player association with the intention of protecting players to the maximum, but now tennis is a business. Like any other sport, it has turned into a business: on one side there are the players and on the other side there are the tournaments, but there are also people in between. Among all the problems there are, one is scheduling, another is extended tournaments, participation in exhibitions, etc. I think the tours are doing a good job with this, so maybe we need to focus more on the Grand Slams. In the last 15-20 years, I believe the ATP has become more of a corporation where the tournaments are more important than the players, although I'm not sure if this is the right thing. For me, the player's health should come first, the longevity of their careers.”

Performance dip since Australia

“After the Australian Open, I made some mistakes. For me, mentally it was very hard to move on from there because I really thought I could win the tournament. Losing that final to an incredible Jannik was... well, it overwhelmed me on all levels. I also have to be honest with myself, mentally it was tough, I was sad for losing another final. I got back home, and the next day I was already training. I didn't give myself enough time to process what happened, didn't give my mind the real time to relax and take care of myself first. I didn't do any of that, just sought to get back on the court immediately, that's how I traveled to South America.”

In search of a fresh start

“The results of the past weeks have been the product of a series of bad decisions on my part, that's how it is. In a way, I also had a bit of luck from losing in the first round of Indian Wells; in the end, you never like to lose, no one wants to lose. However, that gave me two weeks to breathe better, to work on other things because the reality is I wasn't playing well. There are certain aspects of my game that I can always rely on, although maybe not so much in a tournament like Indian Wells. Now I have had time to work on my game, had time to work on my mind as well, so I hope to start from scratch here.”

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, “La ATP nació con la intención de proteger al jugador, pero ahora el tenis es un negocio”