London: The ATP opposes the US Open's switch to a Monday final in 2013 and is not satisfied with the prize money increase for the tournament. The US Tennis Association announced last Friday that the women's final would be moved to Sunday and the men's championship match to Monday next year.
While the move builds in a rest day ahead of each final for the first time, the ATP said on Monday it was against the change and would continue to fight it. "The ATP and its players have made it clear to the US Open that we do not support a Monday final," the governing body for men's tennis said in a statement.
"We strongly believe the US Open should keep a similar schedule to the other Grand Slams, with the men's semi-finals completed by Friday and the final on Sunday. It is unfortunate the US Open response did not reflect our views on this issue and the ATP and its players will continue to pursue this matter in its discussions with the USTA."
Rain forced the USTA to postpone the men's final from its scheduled Sunday slot to Monday each of the past five years. Some top male players complained that the US Open was the sport's only major tournament that put their semi-finals and final on consecutive days. The men's semi-finals in New York will stay on Saturday under the new plan.
A decision about 2014 and beyond probably will come after the 2013 tournament.
Wimbledon, the French Open and Australian Open follow another pattern: women's semi-finals on Thursday, men's semi-finals on Friday, women's final on Saturday and men's final on Sunday.
The USTA also announced on Friday that total prize money in 2013 will jump $4 million to a record $29.5 million. The increase is the largest in tournament history, doubling the roughly $2 million hike from 2011 to 2012.
The ATP said the increase was "appreciated" but did not go far enough. "Over the last nine months, the ATP and its players have asked that the US Open fully recognises the fundamental role of the players in driving US Open revenues, which are the largest in our sport," the statement said.
"The ATP, therefore, remains committed to continuing discussions on this issue, with the objective of ensuring that the players' share of the revenues at the US Open truly reflects the value that they generate for the event."
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