Back in April, Roger Federer had sent the tennis world into a tizzy with a tweet suggesting that the men’s and women’s organizing bodies merge into one entity. Although the idea has been around for many years, the Swiss’ post brought it to the fore once again - especially since it came just weeks after the tour shut-down due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
While there has been no progress on the merger front, the two tours have worked very closely over the past few months on several issues. The latest example of that is the WTA’s decision to designate their tournament categories on the same lines as the ATP tour.
In a recent interaction with Tennis Majors, Steve Simon confirmed that a lot of WTA players are in agreement with Roger Federer’s idea since it looks at the sport from a macro lens.
Simon also claimed he was not aware that Roger Federer was going to send out the tweet, before adding that it did help bring the issue back into the spotlight.
We haven’t had any interaction with the Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA): Steve Simon
The Professional Tennis Players Association, an initiative led by Novak Djokovic and Vasek Pospisil, has been opposed by some players (including Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal). But Djokovic and Pospisil have stated they have spoken to some of the women players, and that they will be included in the asosciation with time.
When asked about the PTPA, Steve Simon replied that the WTA has not had any direct interaction with the Djokovic-led group so far. He did mention, however, that it is up to the players to decide whether they want to be part of the association.
Simon also stressed that the WTA does everything in its power to keep the players happy, and that they have healthy communication with everyone on the important matters.
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