"It’s a broken system" - ATP under fire from British tennis coach over Indian Wells doubles debacle; calls for Novak Djokovic-led PTPA's involvement

British tennis coach Calvin Betton has criticized the ATP Tour for its doubles entry system after issues among multiple all-singles pairs at the ongoing Indian Wells Masters. The coach also called on the Novak Djokovic-led PTPA to take action.

This year's Indian Wells Masters saw 12 all-singles pairs in the men's doubles draw. 3 of them withdrew without playing a match. 5 of them lost their respective matches in the first round. 2 were yet to play at the time of Betton voicing his criticism, while the remaining 2 played each other.

In a series of posts on social media, Betton was critical of the ATP Tour for persisting with what he feels is a ridiculous system.

"How long before you sort out this ridiculous entry system?", he wrote on X (formerly Twitter), tagging the ATP Tour.

Betton lamented the lack of access to the Indian Wells Masters and other Masters tournaments for players ranked inside the top 35 in the ATP Tour's double rankings.

"You have doubles players ranked inside the top 35 in the world who can’t play in Masters tournaments, and can’t get any higher because they don’t have access to the higher ranking point events. It’s a totally broken system and you’re happy to let it drag on. Sort it."

The Brit went on to point out the difficulties for a player to break into the top 30 of the doubles rankings due to the current entry system, which he called "broken".

"The difference between players ranked 50 and 25 in singles is 415 points. The same difference in doubles 1415 points. It’s almost impossible for a doubles player to break inside the top 30 with your current entry system. It’s a broken system and isn’t a meritocracy."

Betton also urged the Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA), co-founded by Novak Djokovic, to sort out the problem.

"Any chance you feel like doing any work on this? Or are you too busy negotiating deals with luxury hotels for the richest players in the world?"

Jannik Sinner and Lorenzo Sonego continue to fight on for doubles glory at Indian Wells

Lorenzo Sonego (L) and Jannik Sinner (R) at the 2023 Davis Cup Final

Most all-singles pairs in the Indian Wells Masters' men's doubles draw have either withdrawn or been eliminated. However, the Italian duo of Jannik Sinner and Lorenzo Sonego is still in contention for the men's doubles title.

Sinner and Sonego faced the all-Russian team of Karen Khachanov and Andrey Rublev in their first match. The Italians made short work of the Russians as they ran out 7-5, 6-1 winners.

In the Round of 16, Sinner and Sonego are set to lock horns against fifth seeds Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos.