Andrea Gaudenzi has retained his role as chair of the ATP, organizer of the top men’s tennis tour, until 2026 after being re-elected for a second term.
The term, which starts in 2024, will see Italy's Gaudenzi continue to implement the tour’s ambitious OneVision strategic plan to revolutionize the sport, which started in 2020 when Gaudenzi’s first term began but was delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Gaudenzi, a former professional tennis player, said: “I’m proud of everything we’ve achieved since 2020, during a particularly challenging time for the world.
“OneVision has strengthened the ATP’s foundation, fostering a genuine partnership between players and tournaments.
“As we enter the second phase of our strategy, I’m more convinced than ever that our sport has huge upside, and that we are well positioned to take advantage of the digital age.”
Under the tour’s OneVision plan, players and tournaments have been guaranteed a 50-50 share in profits from this year, while all top-tier Masters 1000 tournaments (the events with most ranking points available) have been expanded to 12 days.
The ATP said the plan’s first phase, which came into effect this year, has already generated the largest single-year increase in player compensation in its history, with a $37.5 million year-on-year increase across the top-tier ATP Tour and second-tier Challenger Tour.
Other achievements in Gaudenzi’s first term have been the launch of Tennis Data Innovations, which has been set up to manage and commercialize data for the ATP Tour across global markets, and the long-term aggregation of media rights.
Gaudenzi was also a key player in creating a 'T7 working group' alongside the women’s WTA, the four Grand Slams, and the International Tennis Federation, in a bid to streamline the governance of the sport.
The news comes soon after it was reported that Gaudenzi had held talks with Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth Public Investment Fund about possible co-investments into the tour’s infrastructure, technology, and events (in new markets).
The ATP Tour’s revenues have recovered since falling to a low of $93 million in 2020 due to disruptions caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The body’s gross revenues totaled $250 million in 2022, up from $176 million the previous year. In 2019, its gross revenues reached $159 million.
For 2023, the tour increased player prize money and bonus pools to $218 million, up from $180 million last year.