The idea of establishing a ‘premium’ circuit in tennis, in the style of Formula 1, has been widely discussed in recent weeks. Rumors about the appearance of Saudi Arabia and its acquisition of a Masters 1000 have triggered a situation that, it seems, had already been discussed previously.
Or that, at least, is what he says. Craig Tiley. The director of Open the Australia 2024 He is known for his statements: he is a guy who does not bite his tongue, who leaves clues about what the future of his own tournament and tennis may hold, anticipating official announcements and different communications. Following the latest news about the possible ‘premium circuit’ within the world of men’s tennis, made up of 14 tournaments that would generate a practically closed product for around the 100 best in the world, the manager of the first Grand Slam of the year has surprised by stating that the conversations to create this kind of closed circuit… They have already existed for several seasons.
“The premium circuit for the future of our sport is an idea that has been on the table for several years, and making our sport motivated and showing an active predisposition to it, in a more open way, is something that continues to happen. It is exciting”, he stated in words reported by the Sydney Herald, demonstrating that there is some interest in what would be a revolutionary idea. Before continuing to explain and delve into what this format could mean, Tiley made it clear that, yes, there are no formal plans for the Grand Slams, ATP and WTA to meet in the month of January within the framework of the dispute of the first Grand Slam of the year, ruling out a revolution in the coming months.
“I think there is a lot of work to do. There are many stakeholders that need to agree, but tennis has a great opportunity to deliver a product in a unique and much more coordinated way, a premium product. There have been attempts to achieve this for years, but the Grand Slams have done extremely well in the current framework and continue to do very well. “These are the times of the year when players move the most, this is where they earn most of their money, but also where they manage to shape their profile globally.”said Tiley, leaving the door open to what would be an absolute change in the modus operandi in which racket sport is framed.
FOURTEEN FORMULA ONE STYLE EVENTS
It is an idea that past and current names in the world of tennis have spoken positively about, see Tommy Haas or Taylor Fritz. The latest rumors and conversations point to an exclusive circuit of 14 tournaments: the four Grand Slams and the 10 Masters 1000, which would cease to be part of the ATP to be integrated into this new product (also opening a license to Saudi Arabia). This closed format is increasingly being reproduced in different sports, from talks of a possible Super League in football to the creation of the LIV circuit in golf (which, finally, ended up joining the already existing circuit). Will it move forward in the near future? Will the next Australian Open play a key role in all this? Only time will be able to give us answers.
2023-12-06 07:30:00
#revolution #tennis.. #happen
