'Time' to merge women's and men's governing bodies, says Federer
SHOWS:
LONDON, ENGLAND, UK (JUNE 29, 2018) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL)
1. VARIOUS OF ROGER FEDERER PRACTISING
INTERNET (APRIL 22, 2020) (TWITTER/ @rogerfederer - ACCESS ALL)
2. SCREENSHOT OF FEDERER TWEET READING (English):
"JUST WONDERING…..AM I THE ONLY ONE THINKING NOW IS THE TIME FOR MEN'S AND WOMEN'S TENNIS TO BE UNITED AND COME TOGETHER AS ONE?"
3. SCREENSHOT OF FEDERER TWEET READING (English):
"I AM PICTURING A MERGER BETWEEN THE WTA AND ATP"
4. SCREENSHOT OF FEDERER TWEET READING (English):
"I AM NOT TALKING ABOUT MERGING COMPETITION ON THE COURT, BUT MERGING THE 2 GOVERNING BODIES (ATP AND WTA) THAT OVERSEE MEN'S AND WOMEN'S PROFESSIONAL TOURS..."
5. SCREENSHOT OF FEDERER TWEET READING (English):
"I AGREE WITH YOU, IT'S TOO CONFUSING FOR THE FANS WHEN THERE ARE DIFFERENT RANKING SYSTEMS, DIFFERENT LOGOS, DIFFERENT WEBSITES, DIFFERENT TOURNAMENT CATEGORIES."
6. SCREENSHOT OF FEDERER TWEET READING (English):
"IT PROBABLY SHOULD HAVE HAPPENED A LONG TIME AGO, BUT MAYBE NOW IS REALLY THE TIME.
THESE ARE TOUGH TIMES IN EVERY SPORT AND WE CAN COME OUT OF THIS WITH 2 WEAKENED BODIES OR 1 STRONGER BODY."
PARIS, FRANCE (FILE - MAY 21, 2019) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL)
7. VARIOUS OF NOVAK DJOKOVIC PRACTISING
PARIS, FRANCE (FILE - MAY 23, 2019) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL)
8. FEDERER PRACTICING
PARIS, FRANCE (FILE - MAY 21, 2019) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL)
9. RAFAEL NADAL FOOTWORK
10. NADAL PRACTISING
11. VARIOUS OF SERENA WILLIAMS PRACTISING
LONDON, ENGLAND, UK (FILE - JUNE, 2018) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL)
12. SIMONA HALEP TRAINING
LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (JUNE 30, 2018) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL)
13. SERENA WILLIAMS HITTING
LONDON, ENGLAND, UK (FILE - JUNE 29, 2018) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL)
14. DJOKOVIC PLAYING A POINT WITH KEVIN ANDERSON
LONDON, ENGLAND, UK (FILE - JUNE 29, 2018) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL)
15. VARIOUS OF NADAL TRAINING
STORY: Roger Federer called on Wednesday (April 22) for a merger between the men's ATP Tour and the WTA, which runs the women's circuit, as tennis wades through a lengthy coronavirus shutdown with lower-level professionals in deep financial crisis.
The tennis season was suspended in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the hiatus will continue at least until mid-July, depriving lower-level players, who depend solely on tournament winnings, of the chance to earn a living.
"Just wondering ... am I the only one thinking that now is the time for men's and women's tennis to be united and come together as one?" the winner of 20 Grand Slam singles titles said on Twitter.
"I am picturing a merger between the WTA and ATP.
"I am not talking about merging competition on the court, but merging the 2 governing bodies (ATP and WTA) that oversee the men's and women's professional tours ..."
Tennis enjoys a massive worldwide following but its governance remains fractious with as many as seven associations running different parts of the game.
Besides the ATP and the WTA Tours, the sport is also controlled by the International Tennis Federation and the boards of the four Grand Slam tournaments.
Federer's comments on the social media were 'liked' by both men and women players within minutes.
(Production: Kurt Michael Hall)
