By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Monday, October 15, 2024

Several outstanding Grand Slam champions help an ATP and WTA merger. 

Maria Sharapova says it isn't occurring.  

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Former world No. 1 Sharapova instructed Bloomberg a merger unifying the ATP and WTA is "not going to happen" and blasted the inequity in prize cash at some Tour occasions as "insane." 

“It’s not going to happen; no, it’s not,” Sharapova instructed Bloomberg. “Just this week, there’s a men’s tournament, that’s still happening in Shanghai with the winner’s prize check $1.2 million. In the same week in China there’s a women’s tournament with a winner’s check of $120,000. …

“I don’t know if anyone’s familiar with those numbers. You got to a Grand Slam and we are celebrating equal prize money at a Grand Slam. Great. Those are the biggest events that get the biggest attention, media, the buzz. But then the rest of the Tour, which is the eight or nine other months, the disparity is insane and that needs to be addressed.”

Skeptics say Sharapova's feedback current a false equivalence.

The five-time Grand Slam champion in contrast the prize cash Hubert Hurkacz received on the Rolex Shanghai Masters, which is a Masters 1000 occasion—the 1000 occasions being the highest-level and highest-paying tournaments (apart from the Tour Finals) on the boys's and ladies's Tours—to the prize cash Qinwen Zheng received on the Zhengzhou Open, which is a WTA 500 occasion, a full stage under the 1000 tournaments.

Critics say Sharapova is both unaware of the prize cash construction or just being disingenuous evaluating two utterly completely different ranges of tournaments.

In current years, a number of champions, together with Roger Federer, Billie Jean King, Chrissie Evert and John McEnroe have referred to as for the ATP and WTA to merge to unify the game and ship one of the best fields and greatest worth for followers.

ATP Chairman Andrea Gaudenzi has additionally publicly supported a merger saying the game may be strengthened via solidarity, combining tv and digital rights and presenting followers with a steamlined sport that is simpler to comply with.

For years, each King and Federer have referred to as for tennis to unify and merge the ATP and WTA.

In response to a tweet from @FedererMilitary, who wrote "I would love for the ATP and WTA to merge", Roger Federer concurred stating a mixed Tour would create readability and eradicate confusion for followers.

"I agree with you," Federer replied. "It’s too confusing for the fans when there are different ranking systems, different logos, different websites, different tournament categories."

I agree with you, It’s too complicated for the followers when there are completely different rating techniques, completely different logos, completely different web sites, completely different event classes. https://t.co/zX4XTr9Rr0

— Roger Federer (@rogerfederer) April 22, 2020

The 36-year-old Sharapova, who earned practically $39 million in prize cash throughout her profession and topped Forbes' checklist because the world's highest-paid feminine athlete for practically a decade till she examined optimistic for the banned substance meldonium and subsequently served a 15-month ban from tennis, stated whereas she hopes a merger will happen, she would not see it occurring.

Sharapova cites prize cash disparity and completely different calendars as two main hindrances for a merger.

“How do you align the calendar when you've so many occasions all year long? How do you make it accessible, attention-grabbing and interesting," Sharapova told Bloomberg. "It will take time. It’s not going to occur tomorrow, however I positive hope it does."

Photo credit score: Mark Peterson/Corleve

Content Source: www.tennisnow.com