Roger Federer caused quite a stir today when he tweeted out his wish for ATP and WTA to merge into a singular association. A statement like that was never going to fly under the radar, especially coming from the Swiss man. Serena Williams was one of the countless athletes and fans to respond to the tweet. However, for some mysterious reason, she has since deleted her tweet.
Roger Federer Wants ATP and WTA to Merge
The tennis season has been suspended since early March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Roger Federer believes this the perfect time to open the door to discuss merging the Association of Tennis Professionals and Women’s Tennis Association.
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Just wondering…..am I the only one thinking that now is the time for men’s and women’s tennis to be united and come together as one?
— Roger Federer (@rogerfederer) April 22, 2020
This is not a notion that Federer has conjured up out of thin air; it has been floating around for decades. But when Federer says something, the whole tennis community listens.
One of the earliest tennis players to ever touch upon the topic was none other than tennis legend Billie Jean King. She jumped at Roger’s tweet and expressed her wish for it to happen at long last.
I agree, and have been saying so since the early 1970s. One voice, women and men together, has long been my vision for tennis.
The WTA on its own was always Plan B.
I’m glad we are on the same page.
Let’s make it happen. #OneVoice
— Billie Jean King (@BillieJeanKing) April 22, 2020
So did retired Australian player Rennae Stubbs.
I agree 100% ! Tennis needs to be one tour. BOTH are stronger together and that’s a fact. Less divisiveness and dilution! A few less tournaments, more time off for both tours and more money in bigger events that can trickle down to lower ranked players…..the list is endless!
— Rennae Stubbs (@rennaestubbs) April 22, 2020
Many current professional players too replied to his tweet, and most were in agreement with Roger.
Simona Halep was one of the first ones to respond.
You are not the only one 😊
— Simona Halep (@Simona_Halep) April 22, 2020
Nick Kyrgios tweeted a simple ‘yes’ to the notion. While at first glance one might think he is agreeing with Federer, with Nick you never really know what is going on.
We’ll leave that one for you to interpret.
Yes
— Nicholas Kyrgios (@NickKyrgios) April 22, 2020
Another big influencer in tennis, Rafael Nadal, showed his support for his arch rival’s idea. But then again, that is hardly surprising.
Hey @rogerfederer as you know per our discussions I completely agree that it would be great to get out of this world crisis with the union of men's and women's tennis in one only organisation 🎾👍🏻 https://t.co/fTCfvMiU4G
— Rafa Nadal (@RafaelNadal) April 22, 2020
If there is anyone who has as much clout in tennis as Roger it is Serena Williams. And she too agreed with the sentiment and expressed it with a bit of humor. However, as we mentioned before, she deleted her tweet later on for an unknown reason.
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We did get our hands on an image of her tweet though.
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If Federer and Williams want it to happen, this could be the best chance for it to materialize. However, it will be a difficult one to pull off. Let’s wait and watch how things pan out.
