As the ATP season concludes, players are looking for higher rankings so they can secure bonuses that "come from a variety of sources, including racket and clothing sponsors," according to Christopher Clarey of the N.Y. TIMES. The sponsor money "matters, often a great deal, to the players, although less to those who are at the top end of the tennis food chain." Sam Querrey, ranked No. 14, is among those with the "most to gain." Finishing in the top 12 would "guarantee Querrey an ATP Tour bonus of at least $160,000," and reaching the Finals would "guarantee him a participation fee of $191,000." A Top 10 finish would "trigger significant sponsor bonuses" for him and allow his agent John Tobias, of TLA Worldwide, to "negotiate better deals for appearance fees." Tobias said, "There’s a huge difference between finishing 11 and finishing 10." Clarey notes some contracts "determine a bonus based on a player’s average ranking over 52 weeks but many favor the year-end ranking." Topnotch Management President Sam Duval, who reps John Isner, said, "If the player is super high you will want to try to do the weekly average, but on the flip side, with an up and coming player, it’s better to have it be year-end ranking." Clarey notes some major brands "do not buy" insurance on bonus payouts, "preferring to absorb the cost of a big bonus payout internally." Sponsorship insurance firm Risk Point Consulting President Michael Wright said, "Most of the big players are not buying coverage on the tennis side. The multibillion companies -- if they have 30, 60, 100 athletes under contract who all get some mix of bonuses -- they know the deviation off the expected is not that great so they can absorb it" (NYTIMES.com, 10/25).
