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 | |  Sunday, 8 July, 2001, 00:25 GMT 01:25 UK McMillan sad at doubles decline  Woodbridge: Master at the doubles trade By BBC Sport Online's Charlie Henderson at Wimbledon Wimbledon 2001 has undoubtedly been a huge success, but one aspect of it saddens Frew McMillan. The South African is worried that the discipline of doubles, in which he excelled, is in danger of becoming a "second class" sport, particularly as some tournament directors think it is a "waste of time". McMillan won five doubles titles at Wimbledon and with 74 titles is third on the all time list of men's doubles winners behind Tom Okker and John McEnroe. Some of the great names of the game feature in the top 40 of the all-time rankings, including Ilie Nastase, John Newcombe, Rod Laver and Roy Emerson.
The lack of "active" players in the list and the small number of top level players involved in doubles at the moment is the cause of McMillan's frustration. Singles dominates the sport, as it has Wimbledon, and as a result McMillan believes doubles is at a crossroads and needs to re-invent itself. "It's in danger of becoming a second class sport," McMillan declared. "Doubles has been looking at itself for a long time and the doubles players have realised that they are slipping in the priority stakes. "The game would be far more exciting for spectators if the leading lights in the sport were all involved - it would be spectacular to see Andre Agassi or Pat Rafter play doubles. "It's up to the organisers of the game, and particularly the ATP, to somehow begin to change the system in their tournaments and it wouldn't surprise me if prize money was the way to do it."
McMillan believes the real problem dates back to the seventies and even then prize money was the key issue. ATP members attempted to change the dispensation on the circuit from an 80%-20% cut in favour of the singles to a 60%-40% split. The ratios were never changed and in reality it is an eight-to-one cut as the prize money on offer is split between the two competitors in a doubles team. The board and the directors believed that any changes would reduce the significance of the singles winner and "lessen the headline story". McMillan never agreed with that argument and now views the ATP as a key player in the rejuvenation of the game. But he also realises that not all within the upper echelons of the sport share his sentiments on doubles. "There's quite a drive among tournament directors to save money," McMillan reveals. "Tournaments are very expensive to run and they feel that doubles players are taking up unnecessary sums of money - there are some tournaments that want to do without it altogether." McMillan does not think that any tournament will disband doubles events even though "there is a move to try and eliminate it". "It saddens me as someone who played doubles a lot and watches just as much but also from a historical point of view. "We talked about the possibility of Jennifer Capriati winning a Grand Slam. "But my mind goes back to when players won the singles and doubles at the French and then came to Wimbledon and perhaps won the singles and doubles as well. "Historically the game is the loser. "Doubles players are
"And it will require some drastic moves to maintain the momentum and somehow regenerate the game and it has to be a massive drive with better equated prize money." McMillan's verdict is that money drive's people and that in turn it will drive the game forward back to its rightful position. Equally it seems that financial issues could drive the game from the public eye for good. | |
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