The unexpected tweet from 20-time grand slam champion Roger Federer isn’t one that came out of the blue, but has stemmed from the efforts being made by the new chairman of the ATP.
The world No.4 caused a social media storm after asking his 12.7 million followers on Twitter if he was “the only one thinking that now is the time for men’s and women’s tennis to be united and come together as one?” Unexpectedly many other big names in the sport endorsed his comment shortly after. Including fellow grand slam winners Rafael Nadal, Simona Halep and Petra Kvitova.
“I am picturing a merger between the WTA and ATP. I am not talking about merging competition on the court, but merging the two governing bodies (ATP and WTA) that oversee the men’s and women’s professional tours.” The Swiss maestro wrote. “It probably should have happened a long time ago, but maybe now is really the time. These are tough times in every sport and we can come out of this with two weakened bodies or one stronger body.”
The 38-year-old is far from the first to have called for the merger of both men’s and women’s tennis. In fact Billie Jean King pointed out that she has been working for that to happen for more than 40 years. King is the founder of the WTA Tour and played an instrumental role in the drive for equal prize money in tennis.
Although there could be another reason why Federer has decided now to tweet about his hopes for a merger. Fellow countryman Stan Wawrinka has said he believes that Andrea Gaudenzi, who took over at the ATP earlier this year, has already had discussions on the topic. None of which has been made public and it is unclear as to what it entails.
“It was not just a comment, there are more talks behind that.” Wawrinka said during an Instagram live chat with Chris Evert.
“I don’t think that was just a comment, I think there is more behind that. Gaudenzi at the ATP was already talking about it and trying to find something to put the ATP and WTA together to make one tour.”
Wawrinka’s comment aligns with what Vasek Pospisil wrote in response to Federer’s Tweet. The Canadian said that the ATP ‘has been working on this since they brought the vision forward to us in January.” The us he refers to is presumably the ATP player Council that he is currently a member of.
Like his fellow tennis players, Wawrinka has also embraced the idea of unity.
“I think for fans, tennis players, women and men it would be a great solution to be only one tour. They just need to find the right way. I believe it would be great for tennis and its fans but I don’t know if it would be possible or not.” Wawrinka commented.
There have been calls for the world of tennis to unite during the COVID-19 crises in order to help improve its future. Any move to do so is possible, but far from simple. However, Gaudenzi has recently suggested that the current Tour suspension could be a blessing in disguise.
“There is a big opportunity for tennis but we can only grasp it if we work together as a group. This crisis could divide us further or unite us once and for all, I hope the latter will happen.” He said.
The ATP and WTA have operated as separate bodies since 1973.
