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ATP Chairman outlines goal to merge with the WTA and all leading tennis organisations


Andrea Gaudenzi has revealed his plans to unify the ATP, WTA, ITF and all four Grand Slam organisers under one organisation to better improve the level of efficiency in tennis.

Former professional Gaudenzi has endured a turbulent two-years as Chairman of the ATP after his appointment on January 1st 2020.

In that time, the world has seen a number of global crises that have all had wide-ranging impacts on tennis, including the 2020 Australian bush fires, the Covid-19 pandemic and now ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine.

According to the Italian, tennis has “seen more changes in the past two years than in the  previous 20 combined.”

However, despite such major stressors, Gaudenzi has dreams to merge all of the leading governing and organising bodies within tennis.

These organisations include the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), International Tennis Federation (ITF) and all four Grand Slams.

In an exclusive interview with German news website SPOX, Gaudenzi outlined these plans and the reasoning behind such a drastic shake-up.

Gaudenzi said “we have worked more closely with the WTA on some marketing initiatives and also with the other major organisations through the launch of the T7 working group made up of the four Grand Slam, the ITF, WTA and the ATP.

“All of this makes me very optimistic that our sport can achieve great things in the future if we all work together.

“In the near to mid-term future, it would be my wish to see tennis evolve towards shared leadership and governance, where seven organisations work together to make decisions and move the sport forward,” Gaudenzi outlined.

“Right now, that process is making decisions fragmented, which leads to inefficiency.

“Obviously, when we think about competing with other sports, leagues, and the entertainment giants in streaming, music, or gaming, that’s a clear disadvantage for us.

“Still, I have to say that over the last 24 months we have already made progress that is extremely encouraging, so I have faith that a model like the one outlined in feasible and that it would take our sport extremely forward.”

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Tim Farthing, Tennishead Editorial Director & Owner, has been a huge tennis fan his whole life. He's a tennis journalist and entrepreneur as well as playing tennis to a national standard. He also helps manage his local club and volunteers for his local tennis organisation. He's a specialist in content about the administration of professional tennis and tennis coaching for all levels.