‘Working Together’: ATP Chief Echoes Roger Federer’s Idea of ATP-WTA Merger

Published 02/21/2021, 9:30 AM EST

Over the years, there have been calls made to merge the two prominent tennis associations, ATP and WTA. As of now, the men and women have separate associations, and not many players are fond of that idea.

As the world is progressing, athletes like Roger Federer have been calling for a change. It just makes more sense, doesn’t it? Having a combined association that comprises both men and female competitors rather than boasting two separate organizations.

Several hurdles have stopped the ATP and WTA from combining, but what are ATP chairman Andrea Gaudenzi’s thoughts about this?

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ATP chief Andrea Gaudenzi favors the merger

How long will tennis exist with two different organizations that separate men and women? Though there is no cross-competition, a single association will be more streamlined and lucrative than two separate ones.

“We must make an effort to work together and have a common strategy. Both for the content, our data, but also the sponsors.

“We are working together to align our management with the goal of providing a better experience for fans,” Gaudenzi said (Quotes translated from French via Google).

Gaudenzi recognizes the value of tennis content and wants the merger for the sake of promoting it globally. The former World No.18 also put forth interesting ideas besides promoting live events through a potential merger.

“Fans today like to watch content that is not live. They watch documentaries, what happens in the locker room. We want to create more content and for players to engage. Fans want to see what’s going on behind the scenes,” Gaudenzi mentioned.

The 47-year-old also revealed the interest shown by major streaming platforms and wants to make use of the opportunity. It will indeed be interesting, but we still have miles to go before witnessing an ATP-WTA merger!

The merger talks heated up after Roger Federer made an honest statement

2020 was a very disappointing year for humanity as a whole. With the pandemic calling for a halt to the daily happenings, the world of sport had to take a hiatus owing to health concerns. It was a dark time, but in a way helped people recreate certain ideas.

Likewise, Roger Federer made a strong statement through Twitter that pulled the tennis world together!

Federer’s tweet was shared by several famous personalities. However, the Swiss Maestro isn’t the only one who’s has voiced out towards the ATP-WTA merger.

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

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There have been plenty of calls for the merger, and the legendary Billie Jean King has been striving hard for it since the 1970s!

The WTA’s founder commented on the matter after the initiative was taken up by Roger Federer and delivered an inspiring response.

“I have always felt that if we were together, we would have one voice and not just what we can do on the court but what we could do for the world off the court as one. I don’t think it is going to happen in the near future, but I wish I did,” King expressed.

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We’re now in 2021, and it is about time that we strongly endorse a merger between the ATP and WTA. There are hardly a few people who still want a separate body governing the men’s and the women’s game, and let’s not pay them heed.

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Written by:

Arjun Athreya is a senior writer at Essentially Sports and has been contributing since early 2020. Having developed an avid interest in sports at an early age, he pursued a Journalism degree and graduated from Madras Christian College. Arjun manages the Golf division and its content, and primarily covers news pertaining to the NBA as well.

‘Working Together’: ATP Chief Echoes Roger Federer’s Idea of ATP-WTA Merger

ATP chief Andrea Gaudenzi favors the merger

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The merger talks heated up after Roger Federer made an honest statement