The premium tour in tennis may still be a distant vision. But if the ATP and the WTA don’t move closer together, it could actually become a reality one day.
by Jens Huiber
last edited: December 10, 2023, 7:59 a.m
Herwig Straka at the Erste Bank Open 2023
In football, the Super League planned by some top European clubs is currently on hold, and the idea of an exclusive circle of clubs passing millions on to each other was met with strong headwinds, especially from England. In tennis, the concept of a “Premium Tour” is now apparently on the table, a merger of the four majors with the nine ATP Masters 1000 tournaments. Craig Tiley, the head of Tennis Australia, confirmed this a few days ago. However, there are still many hurdles to overcome before implementation.
Herwig Straka, the director of the ATP Board, fundamentally sees a threat to the existing structure. On the other hand: “These are isolated opinions,” said the Vienna tournament director in the Small newspaper out of. “The fact is that tennis thrives on having many tournaments in many regions.” This is exactly what the ATP supports.
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Gaudenzi wants to strengthen the 1000s
Rather, it is a concern that ATP and WTA move closer together. Which, by the way, ATP boss Andrea Gaudenzi also sees it that way. “We all stick together and want tennis to become even stronger,” said the Italian former professional in an interview with The National. However, Gaudenzi can gain a lot from the idea of bringing the Grand Slam tournaments and the Masters events closer together and marketing them even better.
Herwig Straka formulates the concerns of the ATP in the Small newspaper like this: “There is a lot of money in sport – you have to stick together. We are continuing to intensively pursue the ‘One Tennis’ project. That means we want to create a big world of tennis with the women’s tour and the Grand Slams.”
2023-12-10 16:35:00
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