ATP and WTA officials have welcomed Swiss tennis great Roger Federer’s suggestion for merging the two professional tours to help the sport wade through the crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
Federer made the suggestion in a series of tweets on Wednesday and got immediate support from Rafael Nadal, one of the WTA founder members Billie Jean King and many current and former players.
And it looked like there were takers for the idea in ATP and WTA hierarchy as well.
Speaking to news agency Reuters, ATP Chairman Andrea Gaudenzi admitted that there was a big opportunity for creating a unified structure.
“Recent cooperation between governing bodies has only strengthened my belief that a unified sport is the surest way to maximise our potential and to deliver an optimal experience for fans on-site, on television and online,” he was quoted as saying.
“To that end, I welcome the views of our players. Tennis has always led the way when it comes to putting men and women together on the biggest stages – it’s one of our strengths, and sets us apart from many other sports.
“We look forward to continued collaboration and discussions with the WTA and other stakeholders across all aspects of our business.”
Even WTA chairman and CEO Steve Simon said they were in regular contact with the ATP about the return to tournament competition.
“I have long stated that we are at our best as a sport when we can work together, and the recent weeks have highlighted that fact,” he said in a statement.