Combining WTA and ATP tours could be a net gain for tennis

The business of tennis has not stopped despite the cessation in play, with discussions about its future occurring day and night.

Pete Sampras lifts the US Open trophy after beating Andre Agassi in 2002. The fortunes of the men’s and women’s tours have tended to shift with the popularity of the players. Picture: AP

About five hours after Roger Federer set the tennis world buzzing on Wednesday night with thoughts on a potential merger between the men’s and women’s professional tours, Australian Open director Craig Tiley eased into bed at 2.30am.

Similar to sports around the globe, the business of tennis has not stopped despite the cessation in play, with discussions about its future occurring day and night during the health crisis.

Peter Johnston, who runs ATP Tour events in Russia and China as well as the Kooyong Classic, said executives had never been more challenged in plotting a path beyond the coronavirus.

And that work does not relate to a merging of the ATP and WTA tours – the buzz topic of the past week after Federer’s incursion – but rather getting the circuits back on track after the crisis.

“It is not like people are sitting back and doing nothing. Everyone is working harder than ever,” Johnston said.

Tiley, who is also the chief executive of Tennis Australia, has two hats in the ring during the COVID-19 shutdown.

TA had just finalised a high-performance restructure to be implemented in the middle of the year, with Brisbane as a key base, when the nation was shut down.

Aside from those directly employed by the national body, who are now working reduced hours, thousands of coaches around the country have also had their livelihoods disrupted.

Professional players are also looking for an outlet during the lay-off, with TA to outline how an interim domestic regime will look when restrictions are eased nationally over the next week.

Martina Navratilova, left, congratulates Chris Evert after Evert won their Australian Open semi-final in 1988.

There has also been much to discuss internationally, with those calls held on European and American time, hence the fact Tiley is burning the midnight oil. Items on the agenda include crisis packages for players through to discussions regarding the resumption of the circuit.

Various models are also being finetuned in relation to next year’s Australian Open, depending on the health of the globe.

“Work has been pretty intense. It is a really complex time,” Tiley said. The social media musings of Federer, whose voice carries some weight, caused a stir midweek amid the prospect of a merger between the men’s and women’s tours.

It was not long before Rafael Nadal, Billie Jean-King and Nick Kyrgios added their views, with the latter questioning the merits of any merger.

The discussion gained further traction when ATP Tour chief executive Andrea Gaudenzi and WTA counterpart Steve Simon issued statements confirming collaboration. But there are significant obstacles to overcome, including long-term broadcasting agreements and deals with governments and cities.

Federer opined the lay-off may prove the ideal time to attempt to overcome hurdles, but Johnston, who has worked as a senior executive on both tours, is not as certain. He believes the focus should be on finding a way for tennis to resume once the health crisis eases, so that players, tournaments and sponsors can begin the process of economic healing.

A natural by-product of the increasing collaboration may eventually result in a merging of the two tours, Johnston said, but that should be assessed as a medium to long-term objective.

“I think this is not the right time to be looking at it,” he said.

“Tennis should be looking at how we’re getting the tour back running and how the players are weathering the storm, and then some of those discussions may lead to a greater synergy between the tours, to greater ties.

While various tennis administrations around the world can occasionally butt heads, there is also a significant degree of collaboration between the two tours and the other key bodies.

“There is far greater synergy at international level than what many people may realise,” Johnston said.

Australian administrators acknowledge there are advantages that could come from a combined tour, including greater profits, more efficient use of resources and stronger bargaining powers.

Tiley noted that since the introduction of the professional circuits, the strength of the hands held by either tour had waxed and waned, largely dependent on the stars of the day.

“We’ve had global superstars and if you can bring them together, you might not have these waves of interest from one to the other,” he said. “The aggregate of that could create greater opportunities.”