WTA in a "very bad place" and could go bankrupt in 2026, reveals Kazakh Tennis Federation VP

Kazakhstan Tennis Federation's Vice President recently disclosed that the WTA is in dire straits. The women's governing body is reportedly considering a potential merger with the ATP.

Yuri Polsky, who is also an advisor for the international affairs of the Kazakhstan Tennis Federation, recently spoke to the Russian tabloid Championat about a wide array of topics. One of them happened to be the financial condition of the WTA, which is rather distressing according to him.

In what was a shocking revelation, Polsky claimed that the Florida-based organization was nearing bankruptcy. He said:

"They are in a very bad place and could even go bankrupt in 2026 or 2027 if their financial situation doesn't change."

According to the report by the Russian daily, the women's governing body had added more top-tier events to their 2023 tour season in order to offer more incentives to top players to participate in them. This, in turn, would help increase the revenue they generated.

"For the WTA it is a matter of survival, for the ATP-a matter of reputation" - Kazakh Tennis VP on potential merger

A merger between the men's and women's professional tennis tours is possible in the future

During the interaction, Polsky also revealed that the WTA was considering a merger with the ATP. The merger between the two governing bodies of pro tennis was originally suggested by the 20-time Major winner Roger Federer in 2020.

The potential partnership between the two organizations would take on the player payment issue at its very root, by creating uniform demand for men's and women's tennis. The move would also examine the "demand and supply" logic, which has seen female tennis players earn less than the male players in tennis.

The Kazakh VP, on his part, believes that the men's tennis body doesn't want their female counterpart's creditworthiness to take a hit, which is why they are ready to pursue a merger.

"For the WTA it is a matter of survival, for the ATP-a matter of reputation. [ATP leadership] doesn't want them to collapse because the optics would be bad. The ATP is in good financial shape, the tour has reserves, the players have retirement funds," he said.

Polsky also ruminated on how the revenue would be shared if a deal is finalized in the future.

"The ATP is exploring its options, the question is, on what conditions could the merger be achieved? It is unclear what ATP's share [in a merged business] would be and to what extent the ATP is willing to subsidize the WTA," he added.