Discontinuation of Joint Scoring App Raises Doubts Over Roger Federer’s Idea of ATP-WTA Merger

Amid talks of a merger between the governing bodies of men’s and women’s tennis, a new development has come to light, which calls the very idea into question.

A joint application of the ATP and WTA, through which the game’s followers and journalists could track live scores from events, has been disabled across platforms where it was available, citing changes to data feed.

The ATP/WTA Live Scores App has been pulled out of all mobile and desktop platforms where it used to be available for download.

The move, even for technical reasons, seems to have pricked the bubble around the idea that the two bodies can break ranks and work towards a singular goal of driving the game of tennis forward.

The proposal of a merger was mooted by none other than 20-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer.

ATP-WTA merger proposal was put forward by Roger Federer

Federer had said at a time that since the ATP and the WTA are struggling to keep revenues flowing in the light of the pandemic and bulk event cancellations, the merger could work in terms of helping the men’s and women’s bodies sail past the choppy waters that they now find themselves in.

Federer said that should the two bodies function as a single entity, they would find it easier to recover from the financial toll that the pandemic has taken on them.

The idea found favor with WTA Chairman Steve Simon, who said Federer had the best interests of the game at heart when he put forward the merger proposal.

WTA boss had favored Federer merger plan

In an interview to tennismajors.com, the WTA boss said, “Well, knowing Roger, it’s not a surprise to me because I think he always looks at the bigger picture of things.” However, if the discontinuation of the joint scoring app is any indication, it is hard to see how the two bodies can work together.

Tennis fans would now have to visit the ATP mobile app and the dedicated scoring page on wtatennis.com to trawl through live scores.

It will not only make for a cumbersome experience but also a time-consuming one, especially for tennis writers covering live events, especially the Australian Open, the Wimbledon and the other Grand Slams.

Read More: WTA Responds to Roger Federer’s ATP-WTA Merger Suggestions

Simply put, if the idea of the merger between the ATP and the WTA has to work, their functionalities, which includes putting up live scores, also has to come together. It will not only help secure the future of tennis but will also make for a better experience for followers keen to keep track of scores.