The WTA on Wednesday announced that it was changing the classification of its tournaments to put its tour in line with that of the men’s ATP tour.
The tour’s highest Premier Mandatory and Premier 5 tournament categories will from 2021 be renamed WTA 1000, mirroring the ATP Masters 1000 tournaments which are one step down from the Grand Slams.
The Premier tournaments will become WTA 500, the Internationals will be renamed WTA 250 and the 125Ks will take the name WTA 125.
“The WTA worked with the ATP to create consistency and alignment across professional tennis,” the WTA said in a statement.
The rebranding also includes a new logo, which is WTA’s first logo redesign in 10 years. The Women’s Tennis Association was founded in 1973 when Billie Jean King rallied other women players to have an independent parent body.
The Game...
— wta (@WTA) December 2, 2020
Gets us out of bed.
Makes us better.
Makes us one.
A league, a team, a collective.
Something greater together than by ourselves.
The Game is for the Fans.
For the Players on Court.
For the ones who dream of being there one day.#WTAForTheGame pic.twitter.com/koz93HWrQ9
In April Roger Federer said that he wanted the ATP and WTA tours to merge, with seven bodies managing the professional tennis competitions that the likes of the Swiss and Serena Williams compete in.
In addition to the ATP and WTA, there is also the International Tennis Federation, which is the sport’s governing body, and separate organisers for each of the four Grand Slams – the US and Australian Opens, Roland Garros and Wimbledon.
With AFP Inputs