Post by Jep Gambardella on Sept 21, 2018 15:04:51 GMT
www.telegraph.co.uk/tennis/2018/09/20/tennis-poised-new-majesty-cup-tournament-winner-takes-pot-75mprize/
As the second edition of the Laver Cup begins on Friday in Chicago, tennis’s warring administrators have come up with yet another format: a 64-man, winner-takes-all event that goes under the working title of the Majesty Cup.
The new idea is technically an exhibition and would be staged in the week after the US Open. But the eye-catching detail is the proposed prize money of $10 million (£7.5 million), which is to be supplied by Gerard Pique’s iconoclastic investment group, Kosmos.
For purposes of comparison, that is about $2 million more than the entire purse at an ATP Masters 1000 event – the next-most-prestigious category of tournament after a grand slam. But whereas a Masters tournament follows a carefully delineated pay structure, in accordance with ATP rules, the twist of the Majesty Cup concept is that the entire $10 million would be taken home by the last player standing after six knockout rounds. The other 63 receive nothing.
As the second edition of the Laver Cup begins on Friday in Chicago, tennis’s warring administrators have come up with yet another format: a 64-man, winner-takes-all event that goes under the working title of the Majesty Cup.
The new idea is technically an exhibition and would be staged in the week after the US Open. But the eye-catching detail is the proposed prize money of $10 million (£7.5 million), which is to be supplied by Gerard Pique’s iconoclastic investment group, Kosmos.
For purposes of comparison, that is about $2 million more than the entire purse at an ATP Masters 1000 event – the next-most-prestigious category of tournament after a grand slam. But whereas a Masters tournament follows a carefully delineated pay structure, in accordance with ATP rules, the twist of the Majesty Cup concept is that the entire $10 million would be taken home by the last player standing after six knockout rounds. The other 63 receive nothing.
Interesting concept, but I am not sure it will fly - what's in it for the vast majority of players, who know perfectly well that their chances of winning it all are virtually nil? If there is no money and no ranking points, why would they bother showing up?
