"Only way to make tennis last" - ATP Chairman Andrea Gaudenzi makes major remark on potential ATP-WTA merger in 2025

ATP chairman Andrea Gaudenzi recently gave an update regarding the potential merger between the men's and women's tennis tours. The Italian insisted that the sport's future relies on whether or not the above two organizations, the ITF and all four of the Majors eventually come under one umbrella.

In April 2020, Roger Federer famously floated the idea of a prospective ATP-WTA merger to offer a uniform platform for male and female players. The Swiss maestro's suggestion was supported by fans and pros alike, but there has been little development on the subject since then.

However, if ATP chairman Andrea Gaudenzi's recent comments are to be believed, the details of the merger are likely to be hashed out by 2025.

The Italian, who started his tenure in January 2020, told L'Equipe in an interview published on December 6, that the major governing bodies must bring their interests together to sustain tennis' popularity.

"Everyone must sit around the table, the ATP, the WTA, the Grand Slams, the ITF. For me, it is the only way to make tennis last," Andrea Gaudenzi told L'Equipe during the ATP Finals. "Currently, there are seven organizations that manage world tennis and that is too many. Everyone makes decisions in their own interest and tennis suffers from it. We are pushing in the direction of a great union."

The 51-year-old also expressed hopes of a unified ATP-WTA Tour by some point next year.

"This is a merger of all the commercial entities of the ATP and the WTA in order to manage, in particular, all the media rights, partnerships and data of the two circuits," he added. "The goal is to be operational by the end of 2025. It's not easy, but I'm optimistic."

---

Andrea Gaudenzi on men's and women's tennis merger: "We're also talking to the Grand Slams"

Rod Laver Arena at the Australian Open

During the interaction with L'Equipe, Andrea Gaudenzi also revealed that the men's and women's tennis organizations were already in talks with the board of directors that organize the four Major tournaments - the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open.

"A merger of the sporting entities would be a little more complicated, which is why we're starting with the economic part," Gaudenzi said. "We're also talking to the Grand Slams, because I think that if we manage to create a large entity with the WTA, it would be good if the Grand Slams worked with us."

For what it's worth, the idea of an ATP-WTA merger goes back several decades. Billie Jean King, a pioneer of women's sport who contributed to the WTA's creation in the 1970s, had previously been a staunch supporter of men and women competing under one pro tour.