ATP-USTA Talks Are ‘Constructive’

What had appeared to be a closed door was cracked open in the last few days, leading to dialogue and negotiations between the ATP and the United States Tennis Assn., which runs the U.S. Open.

A terse four-paragraph response from the Grand Slam Committee during the French Open, rejecting the ATP’s request for an additional $50 million for its players, seemingly had slammed the door shut on negotiations.

Not so.

What unfolds in the next few days will be crucial to the position the ATP players take at a meeting Saturday with Chief Executive Mark Miles, because the possibility of a no-show at the U.S. Open in New York has been raised, though it is considered remote.

Miles has been quoted as saying he doesn’t want to negotiate through the press, but an ATP spokesman confirmed Sunday that talks are ongoing with the USTA and said, “It’s been constructive so far.”

Arlen Kantarian, the USTA’s chief executive of professional tennis, could not be reached for comment Sunday.

But Perry Rogers, longtime agent for Andre Agassi, was involved in meetings between the ATP and the Grand Slam Committee in Paris and remains encouraged by the most recent developments following the French Open.

The USTA appears to be at the opposite end of the spectrum from French federation President Christian Bimes, who criticized the ATP in no uncertain terms a week ago.

“I don’t know what will get done, but I do know the dialogue has been healthy and moving forward,” Rogers said. “Things don’t happen overnight. It’s a process and it’s one you have to allow to breathe.

“The game will not allow one person’s [Bimes’] irresponsible comments to determine the course of these discussions.”

Bimes spoke at the traditional post-French Open news conference and suggested the Slams take control of the game.

“I’m not at war with anybody, but we will let nobody tell us what to do,” Bimes told reporters in Paris. “The four Slams have decided unanimously to keep fixing freely the amount of prize money.

“The ATP is in a wrong role. They should remain a players’ union and not deal with marketing and television rights.”

Rogers, in a telephone interview, characterized those remarks as “provincial” and described Bimes as “a lone wolf,” even within his own organization.

“But the other Grand Slams don’t think that way,” Rogers said. “[The USTA] has been fantastic in this process, recognizing the ATP tour and the USTA will do more for the game by working together than they will by working separately.

“The steps that have been taken over the last two days to really start to accomplish better dialogue [have] been more than impressive. We’re at this fork in the road, and the fork in the road is happening.”

One of Kantarian’s missions since joining the USTA has been to foster cooperation between the ruling bodies of tennis, and he made a special effort to reach out to the top players, including Agassi.

In addition to the recent talks with the ATP, the USTA has another card to play before Miles meets with his players Saturday, two days before Wimbledon.

This week, the USTA is expected to announce its prize money for this year’s U.S. Open.

“If they come out with a healthy increase, it’ll be a reflection of how serious they’ve taken the comments and concerns of the players,” Rogers said.

“Given the cooperative feeling between the USTA and the ATP, I’m hopeful the players will feel good about the process.”