How the Shanghai Rolex Masters is planning its "Men Slam"

The Shanghai Rolex Masters is a vote away from succeeding in changing its format. And so a vote away from a little revolution that will change the face of the end of the season, starting in 2019 if approved. Both Madrid and Rome want to take the next step too. Here's Michael Luevano, Shanghai's tournament director, explaining the project in details.

 

(Credit : Mike Frey for shanghairolexmasters.com)

 WHY ?

We have always felt that we wanted to lead the world and become a celebration of men's tennis. There has been kind of names thrown about, like the Men Slam, for example, something we have coined a couple of years ago when we used to talk to the players and began lobbying them that we should become something similar to an Indian Wells or Miami, just with no women.  We were convinced that we wanted only the men. Part of the decision was made for us when the WTA did not choose us to become a combined event in 2009. So names were coined, the Man Slam, A Celebration of Men's Tennis, to be the highest prize money event for men in the world and to be the only one in Asia Pacific. We wanted to build on this event's success. Taking a very long view.

The government is supportive. That's why we exist. To them, this is very important. Shanghai municipal government is very keen on having the event become bigger and growing, always. Beijing, it is no secret, wants to become a Masters event and probably will at some point in the future, you know, where then you would have a Miami/ Indian Wells scenario à la Asia, a la China. So is it ready for that yet? Probably not. Do we need to work incredibly hard on attendance and building the marketplace? Yes. But that shouldn't stop us and shouldn't stop the ATP Tour and the powers that be making the decision now, because this is generational. We are talking building the generation, building into this idea, building into the marketplace.  

You know, every sport in the world  we produced an AFL game here in May. NFL was here yesterday. NBA has been here for years. They are all coming here wanting to crash into this market. ATP World Tour has an amazing advantage having been here since 1996. And it's so well respected and truly a global sport that they must push this marketplace. I hear things such as, “Oh, you know, the stadium is not full, it looks so bad on television, this and that”. I said, We have been in the game as a Masters nine years. You had 40 or 30. Cut us some slack. We're going to get there.

HOW CLOSE NOW ?

We think we are the closest we have ever been. We have been working on it for three and a half, almost four years. We have gone through countless discussions with all the powers that be from ATP Player Councils to the ATP Board to the chairmen, and it seemed that in the end, biggest stumbling block was not necessarily the price that needed to be paid or the facilities that needed to be built. It was more about the calendar. Where could we fit in the calendar and that wouldn't be as disruptive as a traditional 10 day event, meaning two weekends. So we seemed to have overcome that. The concept now that seems to be bought in by all parties, and I have spent all week with Bruno Soares and Jamie Murray and Kevin Anderson and Gilles Simon, Sergiy Stakhovsky, on the player council, Rafa and Roger have been on board for a long, long time.

What about Novak and Andy?  

Yes, Novak is definitely on board. I spoke to Andy Murray in Dubai. Not this year. I spoke to him last year in depth. The great thing is all those guys want the tournament. It's widely regarded as one of the most player friendly tournaments on the tour, from food to the hardware and the services we provide. So from that perspective, it was never really going to be any worries about that. It was really just how it would impact and of course, we'd have to add another week. 

(Michael Luevano, on the left. Credit Mike Frey : shanghairolexmasters.com)

WHAT IS THE PLAN ?

What we have come up with is we would start the main draw on a Sunday or potentially a Saturday. It could be 10 or 11 days. Our prize money would exceed 10 million from 2019. And we'd want a 96 draw. The proposal has been presented, will be discussed, was already discussed in New York, and there was no heavy opposition. Also along those lines, Madrid and Rome were also earmarked to become 10 day events. So several of the Masters events will start accelerating up to the, to keep up with the Grand Slams and to lead the ATP Tour in terms of the biggest events in the world. There is no opposition, there is a lot of, “I'm in favor of it”, but until you are sitting in, behind closed doors and hear the real story, which none of us will, yes, that's where we stand now.

We would be making major renovations, potentially adding a second roof, obviously major expansions of our locker rooms, major expanse of anything player related, would have to be renovated, upgraded, or built new. I think it's our destiny to become this 10 or 11 day event and it's our vision to lead the world in men's professional tennis on the ATP Tour. We're not trying to become the fifth Grand Slam. You know, we're respectful enough, and that's for other people to make speculation or comparisons of that. But they are so far ahead, and with tradition, and you don't just become that. Shanghai has never proclaimed to be  other tournaments to the north of us certainly have and like to play that game, but we don't.  

There would be the same number of points?

Same number of points. Same name, same number of points. Maybe some day it will change. Because the lower of the prize money Masters in comparison to potentially a 10.5 million in prize money event with a 96 draw, the gap is significant and probably should be given more points. Of course that makes sense, but that's not our decision.  

In regards to the calendar, did you have to talk to Beijing or Shenzhen?

They would be the least impacted. The impacted one could potentially be, if they don't add a week, would be Moscow, would be Stockholm. But we're going to finish on a Wednesday or a Tuesday, so it would be a travel week. The real question, I think, with this longer event is for a player who loses in the first round in Shanghai on a Monday, what does he do for a week? So the same thing happens in Indian Wells. They run off and play a challenger in Dallas. We own a challenger. We can plug that in here in a heartbeat. We have offered players, and we'd love to do this, anyways, is we would host the players here. Hospitality would be extended until they either decide to play the challenger or until they decide for a reasonable amount of days so they can train here. We have all the facilities. It's very doable.

The Big 4 has been the reliable force but you’re planning a big investment in the future of the game and so in the next generations : is it risky after what a Nick Kyrgios has done here two years in a row for example ?

Well, I have been fortunate enough to work  this is my third tennis generation of players.  So I was very young in the last of the McEnroes and even Connors, actually more McEnroe and Lendl days, and then through the Sampras, Agassi, Courier, Becker years, into this generation. Yes there is risk, but I think it's a natural phenomenon, and if I look at Zverev and I look at all the NextGen players, even the Chinese players who are what I'd call suddenly having the belief, that's really what it is, and the heart now, to win, I'm optimistic. This is a long view. This is the Chinese mentality. This event would never be sold. This is a state asset, and this is Shanghai's name card. This is a prestigious property, probably the most prestigious in the entire country, putting aside the winter Olympics.

(Credit Mike Frey : shanghairolexmasters.com)

WHAT ABOUT THE TOURNAMENTS COMING AFTER SHANGHAI?

 

Has there been any reaction from Moscow and Stockholm? Because obviously they will be impacted.  

They wouldn't start till the next week. It's another week in the calendar, although there has been a discussion that they would start early, actually, that they would go into a new format. So there was less down time so they could actually start on a Wednesday and they finish on a Wednesday, so they don't have to add another week to the calendar. All those things will be discussed from the players' side, but as I said, there is no major pushback. This was made public  Moscow and Stockholm were there in New York where everybody was told.

So will they comment? Absolutely. Will all the Europeans have an opinion? I would say yes but more related to Madrid and Rome, because that bumps into a lot more. We support them and they support us. We've had meetings already, the three of us, huddled together, and say, all for one. Here, we impact very few, certainly none in our region other than potentially Moscow. But over there, in Europe, yeah, you're going to get some questions. But everyone knows about it. Any time this happens within the ATP Tour, they let people know about it, and everyone stews. The pot is being stirred.

What about the other Masters?  In effect, this would be four tournaments:  Indian Wells, you, Madrid, Rome, are becoming Super Masters.  

You said that. I didn't. Of course I think they would feel threatened. We are a Masters group and we do individual meetings and we all are together. We negotiate together, we pool together. But we are not going to be forced to negotiate on our lowest common denominator. That's not good for the game. That's not good for the Masters. Eventually you have to step up. National associations that have ownership, they have a different mandate than us city government who is trying to promote the city and create the biggest tennis market in the world and develop to create something global, not necessarily worried about the development of a specific player or underwriting a national federation. I'm not being harsh. I'm just saying that's the practicality of these Masters that throw off huge money to the national federations - and there's nothing wrong with it - that's not us. At some point the players, they're going to come calling and say, Step up or reclassification. That wouldn't be us, because we're a group, but some of the constituents may not feel that way from a players' side. You have ATP 500s now that are paying more prize money and player compensation than probably a couple of the Masters events.

(Credit Mike Frey : shanghairolexmasters.com)

WHEN COULD IT START?

Is this certainly on the agenda for London?

It is. It is on the agenda together with not just us but with Madrid and Rome, and it was already discussed. If they can make a decision or actually call to a vote, I'm not sure. It could be called to a vote or it could get pushed down the road a little bit, but not much more, because the calendars need to be released.

In your most optimistic thinking, when would this come into play?  

2019. October would be our first edition of, let's say, an 11 day event.