In a report on Tennisreporters.net, the ATP is having to tighten its belts.
"There's no question it's a tough market out there," said ATP vice president of communications Graeme Agars, who estimates that the ATP Tour administrative office will carry a $50m (B54.3m) budget in 2002.
"We have a very conservative budget for next year. It's been tough on everybody."
Four of those staffers come from the communications department, including communications managers Miki Singh (US), Martin Daghas and Nathalie Durot (Europe) and Fiona Puller (Australia).
The ATP has been struggling to sign sponsors for the coming year since one-time marketing giant ISL filed for bankruptcy.
Last year, the ATP signed a $1.2bn (B1.3bn), 10-year-deal with ISL, which guaranteed the ATP and its nine Masters Series tournaments $120m (B130m) a year in exchange for exclusive marketing rights.
But ISL never came close to realising the $150m (B163m) or so it believed it could garner from the sale of television and sponsorship packages annually.
The men's tennis organisation reclaimed all of its marketing rights and formed ATP Properties in July, but the tour was unable to sign significant new sponsors nor make any massive TV deals.
"By the time we got rolling with ATP properties, it was a little late to strike major deals for 2002," Agars said. "But that doesn't mean that we can't strike some big deal for 2003."
The ATP has hired TWI, IMG's London-based television agency, to help sell its TV rights.
The nine Tennis Masters Series tournaments, which have a partnership, have decided to pool their TV rights, but are now free to again sell individual title sponsors.
The tournaments have vowed not to drop their prize money from the $2.95m (B3.2m) level in 2002, according to Agars.
Still reeling from the bankruptcy earlier this year of its marketing partner ISL, the ATP Tour has laid off 15 staff members and cut $7m (B
