ATP’s Top Dog Opens Up on Potential Tennis Tours Merger as He Delves Into His Relation With the WTA – ‘I’m Still Optimistic’

The idea of a possible merger between the men’s and women’s tours in the tennis realm is no longer a utopia. During this season’s Grand Slam event in New York, some serious discussions were going on between the ATP and WTA Tour about a historical union. While any agreement is yet to be finalized, the leader of the men’s association has recently provided a positive update on the same.

With rumors of massive influence from the Middle East, the leaders of both tennis circuits, Andrea Gaudenzi and Steve Simon, are reportedly working on a merger. Speaking about a potential union that could turn out to be a revolutionary step for the sport of tennis, Gaudenzi recently delved into his relationship with the WTA circuit.

The chairman of the ATP Tour provided an update on a historical merger

In a recent conversation with The National, Andrea Gaudenzi talked about the recently concluded Next Gen ATP Finals that took place in Jeddah. Meanwhile, the chairman of the ATP Tour also shed light on a possible merger between the men’s and women’s tours that became a hot topic during the US Open.

While asserting that they are in a good place with the WTA circuit, the Italian former tennis player revealed how the tennis associations are discussing a merger of ‘all the commercial entities’. “I think we are in a very, very good place with WTA. We are discussing WTA Ventures which is a merger of all the commercial entities,” the leader of the men’s association said.

Gaudenzi also issued a candid take on how the progress with major tournaments in the past few seasons has been slower than he would have desired. However, the ATP Tour chairman asserted that he is still ‘optimistic’ about their plans, saying, “But I’m still optimistic.”

While any agreement is yet to be finalized, some of the prominent figures in the tennis community have already advocated the idea of a historic merger.

The historical merger gets backing from WTA veterans

During the 50th anniversary of the WTA Tour, the former tennis player Kim Clijsters showcased her support for a potential union that could revolutionize the racket game. The four-time Grand Slam champion asserted that a merger between the two tennis associations would make the sport stronger. “Would I like to see it? Yeah I think it would make the brand so much stronger,” the former World No. 1 player said.

Apart from the Belgian tennis veteran, Billie Jean King is also advocating the idea of a potential ATP and WTA merger. While highlighting that having a union makes business sense, the American tennis legend stated that she believes tournaments will make “a lot more money” when both counterparts play at the same event.

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Do you think a merger between the tennis associations could revolutionize the racket game? Let us know in the comments section.

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