Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer are keen on merging the WTA and ATP
Roger Federer caught the attention of the tennis fraternity, including Rafael Nadal yesterday on Twitter.
The Swiss ace tweeted that combining the ATP and WTA should be something to work towards. For years the men’s and women’s tennis bodies have been separate but the coronavirus pandemic seems to have got people with their thinking caps on.
Fortunately, many top stars backed the decision from Federer. However, there is no confirmation of any talks taking place from either of the bodies.
The coronavirus has hit tennis hard with no matches till July, at least. However, Federer’s plans seem to have brought up some positivity at the moment with many tweeting their support:
Nadal, Simona Halep and a host of others agreed, but there was always going to be some resistance to these plans.
https://twitter.com/rennaestubbs/status/1252995780723515392?s=20
Nick Kyrgios is someone who doesn’t take things lightly. The Australian is a bit of a hot head and called out the decision from Nadal and co.
Now, Kyrgios does have a rivalry with Nadal and has been in a war of words several times. However, the Australian didn’t explain why he was against the plans.
It is to note that all tennis activities have been suspended till 13 July. Wimbledon got cancelled while the French Open was shifted to another date.
Another big issue
The bigger issue that needs to be addressed is the funding and prize money in tennis. Many lower-ranked stars have spoken about their problems due to the coronavirus. The lack of tournaments has affected their income, which isn’t a problem for the big names.
A merger of bodies is good for tennis as a whole, but the need to fix the prize money for lower-ranked players is important too.
It is to be seen when things return to normal due to the coronavirus, and hopefully, we can have some tennis action sooner rather than later.
More tennis news
- Swiss star Stanislas Wawrinka provides heartwarming response on his time in Covid-19 lockdown
- Novak Djokovic claims resumption of tennis season is not an easy decision
- Alexander Zverev latest tennis sensation to join Rafael Nadal as virtual Madrid Open takes shape