03-06-2009, 10:32 PM
LONDON, March 6 (Reuters) - The governing body of men's tennis is returning around $3 million in fees to tournaments to help ease the effects of the global economic crisis, the ATP said on Friday.
"In these difficult times the ATP has decided to give the tournaments a reduction in tournament fees to help them financially," a spokesman for the ATP said.
"This allows the tournaments to take some pressure off their bottom line while waiting for economic circumstances to improve," he said, adding that the total reduction was about $3 million.
The 2009 ATP World Tour features 63 tournaments in 31 countries.
The spokesman said the reductions would come from ATP resources, so prize money for the tournaments should not be affected.
He added that the ATP had not held any discussions with the governing body of women's tennis, the WTA, about whether it would make similar concessions for its tournaments.
"It is up to the WTA to decide how they deal with their tournaments on this issue," he said.
The WTA was not immediately available for comment.
"In these difficult times the ATP has decided to give the tournaments a reduction in tournament fees to help them financially," a spokesman for the ATP said.
"This allows the tournaments to take some pressure off their bottom line while waiting for economic circumstances to improve," he said, adding that the total reduction was about $3 million.
The 2009 ATP World Tour features 63 tournaments in 31 countries.
The spokesman said the reductions would come from ATP resources, so prize money for the tournaments should not be affected.
He added that the ATP had not held any discussions with the governing body of women's tennis, the WTA, about whether it would make similar concessions for its tournaments.
"It is up to the WTA to decide how they deal with their tournaments on this issue," he said.
The WTA was not immediately available for comment.
