Tennis restructuring: ATP and WTA propose new merger plan
Alex Olise
Dailysports's expert
Translated by the editors
In April 2024, the four biggest Grand Slam tennis tournaments unveiled a plan to reform the tennis world. The proposed plan, called the "Premium Tour," aimed to merge the Grand Slam tournaments (Wimbledon, the Australian, French, and US Opens) with ten other top-tier tournaments from the ATP and WTA tours.
The proposal also included doubling the prize money for the top 300 male players and quadrupling the prize fund for the top 300 female players, but this idea did not gain sufficient support.
Now, the ATP and WTA have proposed their own plan, aimed at unifying all major tennis structures under a single leadership, including the Grand Slam tournaments as well as other level tournaments. The proposal also took into account the interests of players and tournament owners.
Under the new plan, the tournament structure will be as follows:
- 4 Grand Slam tournaments.
- 10 ATP Masters 1000 and 10 WTA 1000 tournaments, including a new ATP event in February, likely in Saudi Arabia.
- 16 ATP 500 and 17 WTA 500 tournaments, which will take place simultaneously.
- Reduction in the number of third-tier ATP 250 and WTA 250 tournaments.
Additionally, a new governing board will be created, consisting of representatives from the Grand Slam tournaments, ATP, WTA, and players. However, not all participants in the tennis world approve of the proposed changes.
The proposal also discusses the creation of a company called Tennis Ventures to unify the commercial interests of the ATP, WTA, and Grand Slam tournaments. This will allow for the consolidation of media rights and sponsorship deals, which will help increase revenue and more fairly distribute profits between tournaments and players in the future.
