An Original Model for Financing Tennis Based on the Value of Major Tournaments

From the point of view of its economic model, the case of tennis is fairly original for several reasons presented in this article. First, the major tournaments play a central role in financing the International Tennis Federation (ITF), and particularly in financing certain national federations such as the French Tennis Federation (FFT). French tennis authorities have been able to keep their major tournaments under their control, and are reaping the benefits. These funds help the regional leagues and departmental committees, which are in a very healthy financial position. On the other hand, the clubs often find themselves in much more precarious situations. With the exception of the most prestigious tournaments, such as those of the Grand Slam, the ATP 1000 and the few ATP 500, professional tournaments get only a small part of their revenues from TV rights and ticketing (stadiums are fairly empty most of the time). Their economic model is based mainly on public relations and partnerships.