By richard osborn

Jonas Bjorkman didn't mince words when asked about the changes to the doubles game that the ATP plans to institute following the U.S. Open.

"I think it's shithouse," said the Swede, who comprises half of the world's top ranked doubles team with Belarusian Max Mirnyi.

Beginning after the U.S. Open, the ATP is scheduled to institute what it deems "enhancements" to the doubles game at non-ITF events in order to better showcase the format. Matches will feature no-ad games and sets played to five games instead of six, with a tiebreak at 4-4. You can almost see the eye-jarring agate now: Bryan/Bryan def. Black/Ullyett 5-0, 3-5, 5-2.

Many of the changes, approved by the ATP at Wimbledon (by a lopsided 8-0 vote), were initially recommended by a panel headed by Horst Klosterkemper, ATP President Europe and Player Relations. According to the ATP, the group evaluated data from surveys from of fans, players, media and tournament directors

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	On Court, In Court: The Bryans are taking their case to a higher court.

"All groups clearly acknowledged that doubles is an important part of tennis, but believe some enhancements were necessary," Klosterkemper explained. "Singles players said they would consider playing doubles on a more consistent basis if changes were made, citing the length of matches, which average more than 90 minutes, and scheduling difficulties as reasons for the lack of participation."

Since then doubles players have been seriously up-in-arms against the revisions.

"We hate the changes. All the doubles players we talked to don't like them," said Mike Bryan, who registers at No. 2 on the ATP charts with his twin brother, Bob. "It's going to hurt doubles. The scoring changes make it an exhibition format. Fans aren't going to take it seriously. The top [singles] players aren't going to play even if they play two-game sets. I don't think they're ever going to play."

Bjorkman said, "If they had a survey with the question 'Do you want to see Federer and Nadal and these guys play more doubles?' I would put 'Yes' on that survey, too. But I know it's not going to happen. Unfortunately, they didn't do the research and ask them. We have done the research. We have asked them, and they're not going to play more."

MOST DOUBLES WILL BE PLAYED BY SINGLES PLAYERS
Next year, the ATP will adopt an entry ranking system, with acceptance based on a player's ATP Entry Ranking either in singles or doubles, whichever is highest. Beginning in 2008, only a new combined doubles ranking will be used to determine entries in doubles, counting 50 percent of a player's singles points and 50 percent of his doubles points. Also beginning that year, only players in the main draw singles will be allowed to enter doubles, with two exceptions: Tournaments still can award wild cards, and in 2008 and 2009, spots will be reserved for players with the best combined ranking not playing in the singles main draw.

"Their long-term goal is not to have a single/doubles specialist," said Leander Paes, a 14-year tour veteran. "There's no cliche, no hidden factor, no bones about what the ATP is trying to do. They are trying to get rid of the doubles guys. The only reason they're going to keep the top four doubles teams is because the Bryans are in the top four. If they weren't in the top four, they'd scrap doubles altogether."

Paes and Co. are supposed to have a voice in the ATP, which was originally created as a players association. Their representatives of the ATP Board of Directors are Tomas Carbonell, Ricardo Acioly and Bob Brett. But they claim the trio – along with ATP Tournament Representatives Patrice Dominguez, Charlie Pasarell and Graham Pearce – does not have their best interests in mind.

BOB BRYAN CALLS DOMINGUEZ "A HITLER"
"Unfortunately, players aren't getting good representation," insisted Bob Bryan. "Unfortunately, we're breaking down with our three guys. They're coming over to the 'suits.' The tournament directors are influencing our guys." Bob Bryan went as far as calling Dominguez, the tournament director of the ATP stop in Metz, France, a "Hitler."

"He hates doubles," he said. "He told us, 'If you guys don't comply with the new rule changes, we're going to just wipe doubles away. On January 1, there'll be no doubles.' He's so far on the other side, it's crazy."

"They're not the voices of what we do," echoed Paes. "Tell me, if Carbonell was a doubles player ranked No. 70 in the world, do you think he'd cut himself down? If you put [ATP CEO] Mark Miles in that place, would he cut himself down? At the end of the day, if you go to any club in any part of the world – from Fiji to Hawaii to the East Coast, West Coast of America to Europe to India to Asia – and ask any club player what they play, I guarantee you the answer would be doubles."

On the surface, it appears a bit naive to believe that the ATP's changes will suddenly attract the likes of Roger Federer, Andy Roddick and Lleyton Hewitt. With competition becoming stiffer each year, with longer, more arduous schedules (think no real off-season) and more at risk in terms of both injuries, money and ranking points, tennis will likely never return to the days when a player like John McEnroe can collect 77 singles titles and 77 doubles titles. That's not to say the doubles game isn't ripe for change. But the top doubles specialists assert they want more of a say in shaping the future of their livelihood.

"We'll do it on our own terms," said Mike Bryan. "We don't want to be pushed around."

The top doubles players have been holding clandestine meetings since Cincinnati and plan to sound off on Friday at the US Open when they collectively host a we're-mad-as-hell-and-we're-not-going-to-take-it-anymore press conference at the USTA National Tennis Center.

Don't expect a boycott (they say that the Grand Slams are still supporting doubles), but don't be surprised if the group threatens legal action like Wayne Ferreira and Laurence Tieleman did in 2003 with their breakaway International Men's Tennis Association, a group that pushed for more autonomy. Of course, the IMTA's demands fell on deaf ears. Will the outcry of the doubles specialists do the same.