By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Wednesday, March 13, 202
Saudi Arabia is all in on a bid that might remodel tennis—and provides the Saudis a controlling stake within the sport.
The Saudi-backed Public Funding 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 studies.
Extra: Grigor Dimitrov on Pure Magnificence
The Saudis have given ATP and WTA leaders 90 days to just accept the provide, which might remodel the professional circuit into one mixed tour with equal prize cash throughout the board. The 4 Grand Slams will not be a part of the Saudi provide, in accordance with The Telegraph report.
The clock is now ticking on a call that might 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.
Nevertheless Tennis Australia CEO Craig Tiley is reportedly against a Saudi Masters 1000 in January as it could fracture the Australian summer time season tournaments constructing as much as the Melbourne main.
Below 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 actual fact the Grand Slams haven’t been concerned in negotiations factors to an additional divide between the Excursions and the 4 Grand Slams. That rift was highlighted when the Excursions 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 one of the best path ahead for tennis in that the game may present followers with one of the 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 Excursions to merge previously.
A serious stumbling block has been the actual fact the ATP generates extra income than the WTA and that financial inequity prevented a merger previously.
The Saudi $2 billion provide would include equal prize cash giving additional incentives to each Excursions.
This affords 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.
Requested concerning 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 enchantment to followers.
“I’ve stated this many instances earlier than, that I feel that tennis will not be utilizing its full potential,” Djokovic stated. “We’re one of the crucial globally watched and standard sports activities on this planet, however I feel that we’ve got been fairly conservative and traditional in sure points, and that sadly hasn’t actually been an important enchantment to the youthful viewers.”
The Grand Slam king stated tennis should strike a steadiness between sustaining its custom and embracing innovation.
“I am massive supportive of our historical past and custom and the whole lot, I feel we must always at all times nurture that, however I feel we have to attempt to alter to the fashionable instances and attempt to perceive what the youthful viewers desires and actually make the tennis extra interesting to that group,” Djokovic stated.
Corridor of Famer John McEnroe, who opposes Saudi funding within the sport due to its human rights violations, says given the a whole bunch thousands and thousands of {dollars} at stake, and the actual fact the Saudis already created the LIV golf league in 2021, makes the Kingdom’s elevated funding in tennis nearly inevitable.
“It wouldn’t shock me, let’s put it this fashion, as a result of it’s the previous cash talks,” McEnroe informed the media in an ESPN Zoom name in January. “Oh no, I wouldn’t do this. Wait how a lot was I supplied? On second thought possibly I’ll do this.
“Personally, I disagree with it utterly in golf and tennis. I imply the women are going to play the WTA Finals there? Are you kidding me? As a result of they deal with ladies so properly?
“In order that half, to me, is laughable.”
McEnroe stated he’d be stunned if the Saudi’s do not buy Masters 1000 occasions.
“However on the similar time what can be laughable is that folks 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 stated. “So this concept that tennis gamers should set the ethical normal or golfers for that matter after they’re all making the cash. It’s a complete joke so far as I’m involved.
“However we’ll see what occurs. I’d be stunned if the Saudis don’t purchase these tournaments, really. Not that they may. I’ll be stunned in the event that they don’t have them.”
Picture credit score: Saudi Tennis Federation
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