Fans suggest great tennis merch idea for ATP

Tennis merch has been a hot button issue recently for the ATP and WTA Tours.

At the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, Ukrainian artist Yana Boyko made a convincing social media case that her artwork was being sold, without her consent, on t-shirts in the onsite store. (Her issue is yet to be resolved with the powers-that-be.)

Now the ATP sends out what it thinks is a splashy social media post debuting ATP merchandise sold at the Mutua Madrid Open onsite store. Fans think the pictured merchandise looks dull and suggest something better.

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What the ATP is selling

The shirts are plain. They mostly showcase the ATP letters in small print. There is no creativity. They look like generic iron-on designs.

What fans think the ATP should be selling

Knowing how well jerseys sell, many people on the internet have suggested that the ATP and WTA Tours should design and sell jerseys for the top players.

It would require buy-in from the players and probably a revenue sharing deal. It would be worth it because the product would fly off the shelves.

The ATP and WTA Tours could work together and utilize one supplier, or each could pursue it independently. Or perhaps the clothing ambassadors for the players could design them, for example, Nike could design Aryna Sabalenka, Jannik Sinner, and Carlos Alcaraz’s jerseys.

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Unlike jerseys from team sports, there could be different color schemes and designs for each player, highlighting qualities of the player’s personality and game.