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LONDON, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 23: Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal of Team Europe interact during the doubles match between Jack Sock and Frances Tiafoe of Team World and Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal of Team Europe during Day One of the Laver Cup at The O2 Arena on September 23, 2022 in London, England. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images for Laver Cup)
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LONDON, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 23: Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal of Team Europe interact during the doubles match between Jack Sock and Frances Tiafoe of Team World and Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal of Team Europe during Day One of the Laver Cup at The O2 Arena on September 23, 2022 in London, England. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images for Laver Cup)
Is now the perfect time to make the biggest shift in tennis? Is it time for the men’s and women’s professional tennis organizations to combine? Whether there should be an ATP-WTA merger or not has been up for debate for some time now. Numerous tennis players, such as Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, have previously expressed their opinions on this debacle.
Now, several years after they gave their views, the merger suddenly found itself in the news once more, but for a different reason. As the WTA approaches its 50th anniversary, the 40-year-old Belgian tennis player, Kim Clijsters, has revealed her thoughts on the merger.
Kim Clijsters’ astonishing take on the ATP-WTA merger
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Clijsters, in a recent interview with Reuters, talked about how this year is very special for the WTA as it’s their 50th anniversary. And along with that, she gave her views on the ATP-WTA Merger, sharing how this is the correct time to have one of the biggest changes in the sport.
via Getty
LONDON, ENGLAND – MAY 19: Kim Clijsters of Belgium smiles during the mixed doubles match between John McEnroe of the United States and his partner Kim Clijsters of Belgium and Martina Navratilova of the United States and Jamie Murray of Great Britain during the Wimbledon No. 1 Court Celebration in support of the Wimbledon Foundation at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on May 19, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images)
She said, “Would I like to see it (ATP/WTA merger)? Yeah, I think it would make the brand so much stronger. A lot of times to the outside world, people automatically assume that it is one organisation. You know what I mean? Like people who don’t know much about tennis, they say, ‘Oh yea, ATP and WTA’, but behind it there’s one unit.”
In addition, the 40-year-old highlighted that it’s high time to represent tennis as a whole rather than two different bodies. Further, the Belgian star’s statement is similar to the sentiment long had by Billie Jean King, who founded the WTA circuit precisely half a century ago. And this year, she will be at Wimbledon to celebrate the WTA’s prominent journey.
Not only that, even ATP stars, including Federer and Nadal, have talked about this merger in the past.
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Federer and Nadal’s belief in the merger
Back in 2020, the 20-time Grand Slam champion sparked a stir when he expressed his opinion that both associations should come together. He didn’t talk about merging competitions on the court but concentrated on merging the two regulating bodies together to oversee men’s and women’s professional equipment together.
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The Swiss maestro received a lot of encouragement all through, especially from his arch-rival, Nadal. According to the Spaniard, having this combination will make things easier in sports. Not only that, he remarked that it will be less challenging in terms of organizing tennis competitions as a whole.
What are your thoughts on the ATP-WTA merger? Do you feel that it’s the right decision for tennis? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.
