Amid the ongoing controversy between the ATP Tour and the world’s leading doubles players, American tennis player Reilly Opelka has entered the conversation.
Opelka aimed a dig at the doubles specialists, poking fun at the lack of crowds drawn by their matches. In response, British doubles player Henry Patten ridiculed the 28-year-old.
Reilly Opelka, Doubles Stars Trade Barbs as ATP Tour Battle Continues
The ATP Tour recently announced plans to slash the prize money percentage and draw sizes for men’s doubles from 2028 onwards. The proposed changes involve limiting competition to only 16 teams at ATP 1000 tournaments and reducing doubles players’ prize money from 20% to 10% of the total purse. The plan is to redistribute that money to single players.
The move has received pushback from the leading doubles players, who have threatened legal action against the tour. Opelka, who has long been a proponent of this change, has previously claimed that doubles specialists are “failed singles players” who do not sell any tickets at tournaments.
In his latest statement, he made a sarcastic post criticizing the doubles players for not drawing any crowds. He posted a picture of a sparse crowd at a doubles match at Indian Wells, which was shared by journalist Jon Wertheim.
While Opelka was largely criticized by the tennis community for his post, Wertheim claimed that he is not the only singles player who supports this controversial move from the ATP Tour.
“Opelka from the top rope…. In fairness, he’s hardly the only singles player who feels this way. Worth remembering that it’s not as though the doubles players’ 20% revenue split goes away. It just transfers to the singles players,” he wrote on X alongside a screenshot of Opelka’s Instagram story.
Opelka from the top rope…. in fairness, he’s hardly the only singles player who feels this way. Worth remembering that it’s not as though that the doubles players’ 20% revenue split goes away. It just transfers to the singles players…. pic.twitter.com/HAe0UiwIHb
— Jon Wertheim (@jon_wertheim) July 4, 2026
ATP doubles analyst Will Boucek also shared screenshots of some of Opelka’s Instagram comments.
“The problem isn’t doubles… it’s the doubles players – aside from Marcel Granollers, Horacio Zeballos, and Édouard Roger-Vasselin. It’s not rocket science. Nobody watches because they lack talent,” Opelka wrote.
— Will Boucek (@WillBoucek) July 4, 2026
Patten issued a retort against Opelka on Saturday, sharing an image of a match featuring the American from the same tournament, with few fans in attendance. The British tennis star is a two-time Grand Slam champion and has won 12 doubles titles.
“#SaveOpelka,” he captioned the post, in response to the #SaveDoubles tag used by Opelka.
oh henry patten is MAD mad. this from a man who never posts on instagram pic.twitter.com/QuxVvzh6gY
— allie 🦄 (@doublesalley_) July 4, 2026
The latest move from the ATP Tour comes amid an ongoing battle between the leading players and the Grand Slams over prize money. The players are demanding a larger share of the prize money, as they are the main reason for the tournaments’ success.
