"Gonna go to the headquarters of Sky & off myself, 34.99 a month?"; "Someone shoot me" - Tennis fans slam ATP, WTA's new partnership with Sky Sports

Tennis fans online reacted in droves to the exorbitant prices set by Sky Sports following the recent announcement of their partnership with the ATP and the WTA for live coverage of the sport.

Sky Sports recently announced a five-year agreement with the ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) and the WTA (Women's Tennis Association) for exclusive broadcasting rights for over 80 tour-level tournaments, including but not limited to all Masters 1000 events and the season-ending championships. The deal will cater to audiences in the UK, Ireland, Italy, Germany, Austria, and Switzerland until 2029.

In response to the news, several fans expressed their frustration at the new partnership as it would significantly increase the price of accessibility for audiences, in addition to the reduced coverage as compared to the previous broadcasting partner, Amazon.

One disgruntled fan took to X (formerly Twitter) to relay the price difference between the two broadcasters. They wrote:

"From 8.99 a month with [Amazon] Prime to £34.99 with Sky. Someone shoot me."

Another fan shared the sentiment and posted:

"I’m gonna to the headquarters of Sky and off myself cause wdym 34.99 a month????"

One fan opined that the price is unaffordable for many fans and will only hamper the development of the sport in the future. The user wrote:

"Sad to see frankly. I can’t see how the sport grows at all with it on Sky. It’s far too expensive for many actual tennis fans to afford so I don’t know how you expect to convince anyone not already deeply invested in the sport to fork out ungodly money for it. Stagnation ahead :/."

Here are a few more reactions from tennis fans:

"Excited for this"; "Step into the right direction" - Current and former tennis players have welcomed the news

Eva Lys pictured at the 2023 Hamburg European Open

Following Sky Sports' latest announcement of having secured broadcasting rights for the ATP and the WTA's several tour-level tournaments, several current and former players have welcomed the move.

Former junior Wimbledon champion, Laura Robson, 29, retired from professional tennis in 2022 after a series of injuries and three hip surgeries. The former Olympic silver medalist took to X to share her excitement about the new partnership deal as she eagerly waits for the 2024 season to commence. She posted:

"Excited for this! Can't wait to get started 🎉."

Eva Lys, currently ranked World No. 131, took to X to share her approval of the news. The German maintained that this move will help the development of the sport, and is a step forward. Lys posted:

"Thats a step into the right direction. 🥹 cool"

Eva Lys was last seen in action at the 2023 Winners Open in Romania. The 21-year-old made it to the quarterfinal of the WTA 250 event after beating top seed Sorana Cirstea and Jacqueline Cristian, dropping just one set. She booked her semi-final spot with a straight-sets victory over Ekaterina Makarova, 6-2, 6-2. Lys eventually crashed out in the last four losing to Tamara Korpatsch with the score reading 4-6, 3-6.