Australian Open’s Director in Discussion With WTA for ATP Cup-Style Event

Published 01/10/2020, 6:32 PM EST

The brand new event of the ATP Cup has stolen the show with elite players putting up some thrilling matches in the Australian cities. With the semifinal ties of the ATP Cup 2020 lining-up in Sydney, the Australian Open’s director Craig Tiley has confirmed about the discussions regarding the ATP Cup-style event for tennis’ female counterparts.

Reportedly the event is said to be called the WTA Cup and will get underway in 2021. The CEO of Tennis Australia Tiley’s entire team is working towards the betterment of the Australian summer of tennis.

Statements of the higher officials

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“The women’s version of what we talked about for the men’s side is still in the planning stages and both the players and all of our stakeholders have known that,” Australian Open’s chief Craig Tiley said.

Probably before the Australian Open 2020, Tiley will meet WTA’s chief executive Steve Simon. He will discuss the inaugural of the WTA Cup. “I am excited for them and they are all keen on it. They have seen what happened on the men’s side and it was not possible to do them at the same time because the planning for both was different,” he added.

During the first week of January, WTA events are held in Brisbane, Auckland and Shenzhen and probably, the WTA Cup will be season’s opener. “We are working with the tours to create an Australian summer of tennis that is an incredible global launch to the international tennis season. The ATP Cup is the first step in that and now we are in great talks with the WTA about a new concept and are really excited about the potential in this space,” Brisbane International tournament director Mark Handley said.

Support from ATP’s ace for WTA Cup

Earlier the World Number two tennis player Novak Djokovic also voiced out for the same. “This kind of format is something that would, I think, bring benefits as well and kind of positive outcomes for the WTA tour, that’s my opinion,” the Serb stated.

Novak Djokovic Suggests for a WTA Version of ATP Cup

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Poor scheduling of matches in Brisbane

The matches of the ATP Cup in Brisbane clashed with the women’s matches from Brisbane International 2020. Both events took place at the Queensland Tennis Centre. A few WTA players slammed the organizers for the substandard scheduling of the tournament. The men used the center court and women’s matches were scheduled on the outer courts. And four of the top five ladies professionals were part of Brisbane’s tournament.

2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens stated that the organizers were biased towards the men. Five-time major champion Maria Sharapova said the tournament feels “second-hand.”

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Maria Sharapova Blasts Organizers For Preferential Treatment

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Mahalakshmi Murali joined EssentiallySports in 2018 as a tennis author and has gone on to pen more than 1800 engaging articles, probing into various aspects of the sport and its illustrious players. With her expertise on the sport, Mahalakshmi has interviewed stalwarts from the sport such as Serena WIlliams’ coach Patrick Mouratoglou and Kevin Anderson’s physio, Carlos Costa. Equipped with her vast experience and a keen understanding of the sport, Mahalakshmi now co-heads the tennis department.