Does the ATP mistreat tournaments in South America?

Carlos Navarro - 10 Feb 2025
ATP ATP Buenos Aires 2025 gira Sudamérica Tomás Martín Etcheverry Rueda de prensa

With fewer and fewer tournaments and dates full of other commitments, players are starting to speak out against Gaudenzi's disregard for South American tennis.

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The Argentine Davis Cup team celebrates advancing to the next stage. In 2026, the qualifiers will be fully integrated into the Buenos Aires tournament. Source: Getty

The ATP Buenos Aires 2025 survives as an unavoidable event in the February tennis calendar. World-class champions have passed through the Argentine capital, stars who have enjoyed the unparalleled passion of the South American fans, giving fantastic moments in the Buenos Aires night. Here, Juan Martín del Potro retired, Rafa Nadal triumphed... but for the ATP, however, it remains a mere appendix in a book whose golden pages are written elsewhere.

Naturally, many players are beginning to realize and speak out against the contempt of the leaders towards a region always eager for tennis. Two recent decisions have generated even more anger among players and fans: elevating Doha and Dallas in category, with less history and prestige on the calendar, leaving the Argentine tournament as a 250 and, finally, a devastating date change for 2026, when it will be played with just one week of rest after the Australian Open and coinciding with two ATP 500 events (Dallas and Rotterdam).

"THEY ARE MAKING A SERIOUS MISTAKE"

After removing the Córdoba tournament from the equation, leaving the South American clay court circuit orphaned of one of its stops, the ATP has intensified its efforts to praise other territories and continue to leave behind tournaments that have shown undeniable evolution. In Buenos Aires, players and journalists totally agree that the event's revamp has been complete in order to aim for a higher category: infrastructure, prize money, comfort, player and press assistance... but it's not enough. The most vocal in speaking out was Tomás Etcheverry, who made it very clear that the ATP is making a mistake by neglecting South American tennis.

"Hopefully, the ATP realizes the mistake they are making. They added tournaments where they were already, elevated events where it wasn't necessary. They have harmed us. When they removed Córdoba, what the ATP did was not right. The tour becomes very short there: if you take away a tournament and don't elevate this one from a 250 to a 500... they are not giving us what we need. There are many South Americans in the top 100 and 200, we can compete in quantity with any continent. We analyze it and realize that there are many of us, we ask them to realize that we also want to see them here.

Unfortunately, it will also be the same in 2026. They scheduled the tournament the week after the Davis Cup qualifiers. That will end up harming you: if you have to play away like it happened to me, I don't know if you arrive prepared to compete this week. There you lose another week, and you are left with only one week. They should organize it better, I feel they complicate things too much for us. They added a Challenger 125, which is very important, but players like Darderi who is top-50 cannot register. You end up not playing for a week... hopefully, the ATP realizes this. A change should be made."

Not only Etcheverry, a local player, sent this message: Alexander Zverev himself, the top seed, also led the demand for the ATP to pay much more attention to countries like Argentina or Brazil, highlighting their absolute and unwavering passion for this sport. Unfortunately, it seems that the situation is only worsening for the coming years, with a circuit that will promote its premium product  heading towards further relegating the 250-level tournaments. Will the South American tour survive? 

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, ¿Maltrata la ATP a los torneos en Sudamérica?