Saudis Supply $2 Billion to Merge ATP, WTA into Unified Tour

By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Wednesday, March 13, 202

Saudi Arabia is all in on a bid that would rework tennis—and provides the Saudis a controlling stake within the sport.

The Saudi-backed Public Investment Fund has submitted a $2 billion take-it-or-leave it provide to merge the ATP and WTA into one unified tour, The Telegraph’s Simon Briggs experiences.

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The Saudis have given ATP and WTA leaders 90 days to simply accept the provide, which might rework the professional circuit into one mixed tour with equal prize cash throughout the board. The 4 Grand Slams usually are not a part of the Saudi provide, in line with The Telegraph report.

The clock is now ticking on a choice that would dramatically alter the tennis panorama.

Potential battle among the many recreation’s governing our bodies arises with a key element of the provide. The Saudis desire a Masters 1000 event staged in Saudi Arabia in January as a lead-up to the Australian Open.

However Tennis Australia CEO Craig Tiley is reportedly against a Saudi Masters 1000 in January as it will fracture the Australian summer time season tournaments constructing as much as the Melbourne main.

Under the proposed Saudi bid, ATP Chairman Andrea Gaudenzi, who has been negotiating with the Saudis, can be the Commissioner of the mixed tour, which might be rebranded The PIF Tour.

If the Saudi proposal is accepted, the brand new unified tour would begin and finish the season in Saudi Arabia with a mixed Masters 1000 occasion launching the season in January and the WTA Finals ending the season in Saudi Arabia.

The truth the Grand Slams haven’t been concerned in negotiations factors to an additional divide between the Tours and the 4 Grand Slams. That rift was highlighted when the Tours stripped Wimbledon of rating factors in 2022 in response to the grass-court Grand Slam banning Russian and Belarusian gamers from SW19 again in 2022 in protest of Russia’s unprovoked invasion of neighboring Ukraine.

A former ATP participant, Gaudenzi has lengthy publicly asserted a mixed ATP-WTA Tour is the very best path ahead for tennis in that the game might present followers with the very best, mixed participant fields in addition to faucet into income from digital rights to a mixed tour.

Champions starting from Billie Jean King to Roger Federer to John McEnroe have known as for the 2 Tours to merge up to now.

A significant stumbling block has been the actual fact the ATP generates extra income than the WTA and that financial inequity prevented a merger up to now.

The Saudi $2 billion provide would include equal prize cash giving additional incentives to each Tours.

This presents comes after leaders of the sport’s governing our bodies had reportedly been discussing a Premium Tour, compromised primarily of the 4 Grand Slams and mixed Masters 1000 tournaments with another choose occasions, included.

Asked in regards to the state of the excursions, on the Rolex Paris Masters final November, world No. 1 Novak Djokovic stated tennis continues to fail to maximise its attraction to followers.  

“I have said this many times before, that I think that tennis is not using its full potential,” Djokovic said. “We are one of the most globally watched and popular sports in the world, but I think that we have been quite conservative and conventional in certain aspects, and that unfortunately hasn’t really been a great appeal to the younger audience.” 

The Grand Slam king stated tennis should strike a steadiness between sustaining its custom and embracing innovation.

“I’m large supportive of our historical past and custom and every little thing, I believe we should always all the time nurture that, however I believe we have to attempt to regulate to the fashionable instances and attempt to perceive what the youthful viewers desires and actually make the tennis extra interesting to that group,” Djokovic said.

Hall of Famer John McEnroe, who opposes Saudi investment in the sport because of its human rights violations, says given the hundreds millions of dollars at stake, and the fact the Saudis already created the LIV golf league in 2021, makes the Kingdom’s increased investment in tennis virtually inevitable.

“It wouldn’t shock me, let’s put it this fashion, as a result of it’s the previous cash talks,” McEnroe told the media in an ESPN Zoom call in January. “Oh no, I wouldn’t try this. Wait how a lot was I provided? On second thought possibly I’ll try this.

“Personally, I disagree with it completely in golf and tennis. I mean the ladies are going to play the WTA Finals there? Are you kidding me? Because they treat women so well?

“So that half, to me, is laughable.”

McEnroe said he’d be surprised if the Saudi’s don’t buy Masters 1000 events.

“But on the identical time what can be laughable is that individuals can criticize tennis gamers or golfers for doing one thing that nearly each enterprise and the federal government do which is take care of Saudi Arabia,” McEnroe said. “So this concept that tennis gamers should set the ethical normal or golfers for that matter once they’re all making the cash. It’s a complete joke so far as I’m involved.

“But we’ll see what happens. I’d be surprised if the Saudis don’t buy those tournaments, actually. Not that they will. I’ll be surprised if they don’t have them.”

Photo credit score: Saudi Tennis Federation