Possible Merger Between WTA and ATP: A Solution for the Survival of Women’s Tennis

The Polish tennis player Iga Swiatek, during the first round match of the China Open in which she defeated the Spanish Sara Sorribes. EFE/EPA/MARK R. CRISTINO

A possible merger between the two tennis circuits, WTA and ATP, has been rumored for some time. So far, the four Grand Slams of the season (Australia, Roland Garros, Wimbledon and New York) are played together, the same as happens with some Master 1,000 tournaments, such as the one in Madrid, without going any further. But this Sunday alarm bells went off when the Russian newspaper Championat published statements by the vice president of the Kazakhstan Tennis Federation, Yuri Polsky, on its pages. The manager assured that the WTA is in a scandalous situation in this scenario, making it clear that a possible merger between both circuits is an almost mandatory solution for the survival of women’s tennis. “They are in a very bad situation and could even go bankrupt in 2026 or 2027 if your financial situation does not change,” he noted.

It is possible that more high-level tournaments have been added to the women’s circuit to provide more incentives and thus increase income, a measure that is high risk and that, if not executed correctly, could lead to a serious situation for the WTA. . And it is not the first time that something similar has been mentioned about a possible merger. In fact, Roger Federer already made reference to something like this three years ago on his Twitter account: “I am not referring to merging the competition on the court, but to merging the two governing bodies (ATP and WTA) that supervise the professional circuits.” masculine and feminine…

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I am not talking about merging competition on the court, but merging the 2 governing bodies (ATP and WTA) that oversee the men’s and women’s professional tours….

— Roger Federer (@rogerfederer) April 22, 2020

Faced with a future merger between both circuits, it would not be advisable for the ATP to oppose it, since the collapse of the women’s competition would give a bad image of the men’s organization. In this scenario, the WTA would benefit and could survive. “For the WTA it is a question of survival, for the ATP it is a question of reputation,” said Polsky, who added that “the leaders of the ATP do not want the WTA to collapse because the optics would be bad.” “The ATP is in a good financial situation, the circuit has reserves, the players have retirement funds. The ATP is exploring its options, the question is, under what conditions could the merger be achieved? “It is not clear what the ATP’s participation in the merger would be and to what extent the ATP is willing to subsidize the WTA,” he stated.

Polsky also spoke about the tournament prizes, since the WTA would be the one that would continue to compensate for that financial amount. “It must be understood that equality in prizes does not mean that the Billie Jean King Cup and the WTA Tour generate the same income as their male counterparts. It’s reality… Men’s tennis attracts a larger audience. The ATP proposes bundling media rights to be sold in a single package for ATP and WTA events. Broadcasters would have to buy rights to WTA tournaments if they want to buy rights to ATP tournaments. In this way, the value of the WTA is artificially inflated,” he concluded.

Although the Swiss tennis player already spoke out on the matter three years ago, he was not the only one. Former professional Álex Corretja, now a television commentator, spoke about it before the Eurosport microphones: “It would be incredible, I think it would be brilliant.” He added that large tournaments, such as the Grand Slam, “are very successful because they are played with men and women combined.”

“You have to understand that it is not so easy to do a 100% complete merger because you need special venues, but now we have four Slams, we have many Masters 1,000, which are played together,” and he continued that “a merger would be great because the ATP and “The WTA would try to be as close as possible.” “It may be a little confusing with the ATP, WTA and ITF tournaments, but the intention is there and it would be great news for everyone. Let’s hope they can solve it,” concluded Corretja. So far, the merger between both circuits is nothing more than rumors, and no organization has made anything official about it. The future of the WTA and a possible union between the two remains to be seen.

2023-10-22 11:24:53
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