"It has been 15 years since the doubles circuit began its decline"

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Nicolas Mahut hung up his racket last summer after Wimbledon, until a few weeks ago when he announced that he still had the desire to give himself one last ride. Doubles has been where he has found the most success, a format that has allowed him to extend his career beyond the age of forty, so today he remains concerned about the health of a circuit that languishes in many aspects. In an interview with Eurosport France , we have been able to hear his constructive criticisms related to the decline that doubles tennis has suffered, an increasingly worrying trend that needs to be addressed in some way.

“It's been about fifteen years since the decline of the doubles circuit began. From the moment individual players started focusing exclusively on their singles career and playing much less doubles circuit... mainly due to the way prize money multiplied in the singles circuit. That's when it started to lose some interest,” reflects the player from Angers, who decided to pause his singles activity in 2019 to focus solely on the doubles format.

“It is true that nowadays the view of the doubles circuit is not the same everywhere. Unlike what may happen in English-speaking countries like the United States, England, or Australia, where there is a more significant doubles culture, in France the situation is quite denigrated. Often, the player who has not succeeded in singles is the one who turns to doubles,” Mahut criticizes harshly, suggesting that this circuit has become a refuge for those lacking the sufficient skill to make a living on their own. Does this mean that doubles players are worse than singles players? Let's leave this debate for another time and continue with the analysis at hand.

“Another serious problem is that within the ATP circuit, doubles are not promoted enough, despite there being many people who love the discipline. This can be seen, for example, in the importance of the doubles point in the Davis Cup,” Mahut points out from his recent experiences, revealing a significant lack of affection for all his peers. “On the other hand, I am quite pessimistic when I think about the future of doubles within the circuit, as the decisions being made in recent times are not in favor of its development,” certifies the former World No. 1.

CAN THIS SITUATION BE CHANGED?

It is a good question, one that doubles players themselves have been asking for the past fifteen years. It would be important to gather all those who have been on the court and know the circuit to revive the brilliance of a historical discipline that cannot be allowed to die. Have you seen what happened with mixed doubles at the US Open? Well, you know what the saying about the neighbor's beard means. Mahut is worried, one doesn't need to be very perceptive to interpret his speech, but he still holds onto some hope in his head that could reverse the current situation.

“Something different would need to be done in terms of programming and communication regarding doubles. This is nothing to do with social media, where there are more and more images, but a doubles match is never promoted unless there is an individual player involved. During a Masters 1000, for example, one should consider when to schedule a doubles match. We all agree that we would love to see a Tsitsipas or a Rune playing doubles, I'm sure a large part of the audience would come to see them because they enjoy watching this discipline,” he concludes.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, “Hace 15 años desde que el circuito de dobles empezó su declive”