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Assessing the likelihood of an ATP-WTA merger – Is it possible?

By Brandon Daniels

PERTH, AUSTRALIA - JANUARY 01: Serena Williams of the United States and Roger Federer of Switzerland are interviewed on court following their mixed doubles match during day four of the 2019 Hopman Cup at RAC Arena on January 01, 2019 in Perth, Australia. (Photo by Paul Kane/Getty Images)
PERTH, AUSTRALIA - JANUARY 01: Serena Williams of the United States and Roger Federer of Switzerland are interviewed on court following their mixed doubles match during day four of the 2019 Hopman Cup at RAC Arena on January 01, 2019 in Perth, Australia. (Photo by Paul Kane/Getty Images) /
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MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – JANUARY 15: Team Serena consisting of Serena Williams of the USA, Dominic Thiem of Austria, Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic, Novak Djokovic of Serbia and Rafael Nadal of Spain look on during the Rally for Relief Bushfire Appeal event at Rod Laver Arena on January 15, 2020 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – JANUARY 15: Team Serena consisting of Serena Williams of the USA, Dominic Thiem of Austria, Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic, Novak Djokovic of Serbia and Rafael Nadal of Spain look on during the Rally for Relief Bushfire Appeal event at Rod Laver Arena on January 15, 2020 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Darrian Traynor/Getty Images) /

Reasons to merge – #1: Men and women stars are all connected, bring in more total revenue

A key positive to a merger would be that the men’s and women’s games will be interconnected. From streaming services and social media to live television and radio, the ATP and WTA would likely be connected instead of having separate channels and accounts for the two sides. This would allow for fans to be able to connect and follow their favorite stars, both men and women, instead of having to go to different places for either.

This would open the door for more fans to follow tennis. Having Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic connected easily with Serena Williams, Simona Halep, and Coco Gauff would make it easier for more fans to stay involved in the sport, regardless of men and women.

Reasons to merge – #2: More shared tournaments = more revenue

The Grand Slam tournaments, as well as a few other major tournaments, are played by both the WTA and the ATP. According to ATP Tour CEO Andrea Gaudenzi, tennis was at its most marketable point when men and women were playing in the same, shared event.

"“A combined event, I strongly believe, is a better event both on site and [through the] media,” the CEO said recently. “It is just great. The variety is great. Our fans, they love both. We have strong combined tournaments within the ATP and the WTA and the grand slams are combined.”"

This is a completely true statement by Gaudenzi. One of the main reasons why Grand Slam tournaments are as popular as they are is due to the marketing it brings from the ATP and the WTA. It allows more fans from both sides to come and experience a few of the biggest events of the year. Merging the two tours would open up for many more combined tournaments, including some great events like the Nitto ATP Finals and some of the various Masters 1000 events. Add to that the team events like the Laver Cup and tournaments will simply be more exciting and fun to follow.

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