Will women's and men's tennis merge?

“Am I the only one who thinks that now is the time for men's and women's tennis to join forces?” Federer asked. “It probably should have happened a lot sooner, but now it's really time. These are difficult times in every sport. We can return with two weakened bodies or one strengthened body.” 3 associations, many power interests In reality, there are even seven “bodies”, to use Federer’s language, that compete for power, money and influence in world tennis. In addition to the men's organization ATP and its female counterpart WTA, there is also the world association ITF and the organizers of the four Grand Slam tournaments in Melbourne, Paris, Wimbledon and New York. Everyone represents their own interests. “If the ITF did a smart job, nobody would need the ATP and the WTA,” Dirk Hordorff, President of the German Tennis Association It has been a specific feature of tennis for many years that, unlike in other sports, the world association does not have the leading role. The controversial ITF President David Haggerty recently tried to get the scepter back into the ITF's hands by reforming the Davis Cup and the Fed Cup. But the world association has little influence on day-to-day operations on the tour, which is currently on hold until at least the end of July due to the Corona crisis. “If the ITF did a smart job, nobody would need the ATP and the WTA,” said Dirk Hordorff, DTB vice-president and well-connected multi-official, recently. But as it is, it is the two organizations responsible for each gender that largely determine the tennis world. The ATP has significantly more power there, also because there has been a quartet at an absolute world-class level in Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray for years, while there is a constant changing game at the top of women's tennis. Gaudenzi brings a breath of fresh air But in the Corona crisis everyone has the same problems: no tournaments, no TV money, no sponsorship income. Which is why Federer's chosen time actually appears to be a good time to make things a little clearer in tennis. Especially since the chemistry seems to be right between ATP boss Andrea Gaudenzi, who has only been in office since the beginning of the year, and WTA boss Steve Simon, and the first discussions on this topic had already been held before Federer's initiative. “I'm not afraid of a merger. I would definitely be the first to support it,” American Simon recently told the New York Times. “Of course it's a long way to get there, but it definitely makes sense.” Tennis legend Boris Becker also sees it that way. “It's a step in the right direction. Tennis has always been progressive when it comes to moving with the times, with equal rights,” said Becker.

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Will women's and men's tennis merge?

There were just a few lines that Roger Federer wrote on Twitter in mid-April. But they made such waves in the tennis world that almost every celebrity on the tour has now commented on it: the merger of the two major tennis associations.

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