On this, the leaders of tennis can concur: There is more cash out there to be made. And they see eye-to-eye on this, too: The sport's present structure might stand to alter.
The how's and why's and when's of all of it? Well, that's open to conversation– and there is a lot of that occurring now behind closed doors, discussions and settlements about the future of tennis amongst the folks who run the Grand Slam competitions and other occasions, the females's WTA and males's ATP expert trips, the gamers, their representatives and others with a hand in the sport, consisting of Saudi Arabia's Private Investment Fund (called the PIF, it is the entity behind LIV Golf ).
There are 2 primary propositions, both targeted at increasing earnings, looking for assistance at the minute: One, driven by the 4 Slams, would eliminate the present WTA-ATP structure and produce a brand-new Premier Tour (that's the working title) for approximately 100 females and 100 males and a lower-level Contenders Tour (another working title) with 75 to 100 competitions available to approximately 200 ladies and 200 guys, with all occasions hosting both genders with equivalent cash prize; the other, driven by the ATP, would form an endeavor with the WTA to offer media rights and sponsorships however keep 2 different trips for playing functions, while generating an infusion of money from the PIF in part by putting a Masters 1000 occasion in Saudi Arabia.
Why is this taking place now? The sport is “underperforming,” to utilize a word used by Lew Sherr, the CEO of the U.S. Tennis Association, which runs the U.S. Open.
Which, he discussed to The Associated Press today in a joint interview with Sally Bolton– CEO of the All England Club, which runs Wimbledon– is why the 4 most prominent and most-watched tennis competitions, a quartet that consists of the Australian Open and French Open, are collaborating in what Sherr called an “unmatched method” in an effort “to open what we believe is a huge capacity.”
Making tennis more fan-friendly– an easier-to-understand and much shorter season, for instance, and more consistency in television broadcasts from week to week– might bring approximately a $1 billion boost in yearly worth, on top of the sport's present earnings of about $2.5 billion, Bolton approximated, by method of rights bundles and increased sponsorship offers that might develop from more viewership.
Bolton acknowledged absolutely nothing will take place “anytime before 2026,” however stated she believes the job “can move reasonably rapidly” if they get others to purchase in.
“The great news is we're resting on the cusp of what might be generational modification for the much better for a worldwide sport,” Ahmad Nassar, the executive director of the Professional Tennis Players Association, a group co-founded by 24-time Grand Slam champ Novak Djokovic to represent the sport's professional athletes, stated when requested a basic evaluation of the state of play for tennis.
