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Yuri Polsky (36), vice president of the Kazakh Tennis Federation, sounds the alarm on the Russian portal Championat.com: “The WTA could be bankrupt in 2026 or 2027 if the financial situation does not change!”
There are many reasons for the precarious situation. There is the corona pandemic, with many tournaments being cancelled. There is the questionable case of the Chinese player Peng Shuai (37), who suddenly disappeared about two years ago, causing the WTA to cancel many events in China, resulting in the loss of a lot of sponsorship money. In addition, the tickets sold do not generate sufficient revenue, TV rights generally have to be sold below value and more and more cities are refraining from advertising the tournaments.
Federer’s idea becomes a topic again
Polsky’s call raises a question that has haunted the tennis circus for years: should the WTA and its male counterpart ATP join forces? A question that Roger Federer (42) already asked during the pandemic: “Am I the only one who wonders whether now is not the time for men’s and women’s tennis to join forces?”
Polsky now shares this idea: “For the WTA it is a matter of survival – for the ATP it is a matter of reputation.” Because the ATP bosses around chairman Andrea Gaudenzi (50) want to prevent the women’s association from collapsing: “That would be bad for the image of the sport.” The ATP is in a dilemma; according to the ‘Telegraaf’, the first meetings with WTA boss Steve Simon (68) have already taken place. But what can the ATP actually do?
For example, the ATP wants to support the WTA
Financially, the World Association of Men’s Tennis is on solid footing. It was only announced in August that the ATP wanted to create a safety net for players within the top 250. The reserves for this are apparently large enough.
The prize money at the ATP tournaments is also considerably higher than at the WTA, because men’s tennis generates more income. The ‘Financial Times’ shows that in 2022, up to 75 percent more money flowed into the pockets of men than into those of women. It is not clear to what extent the ATP would be able and willing to support the WTA financially. Polsky: “The ATP is examining its options.”
A great opportunity for collaboration lies in the marketing of television rights. “The ATP proposes to bundle the rights and sell them as a package for ATP and WTA events,” Polsky explains. This means that TV channels are forced to acquire women’s rights for a tournament if they want to show men’s tennis. “In this way, the value of the WTA rights is increased, albeit artificially.”
WTA boss denies money problems
A few hours after Polsky made his statements, WTA boss Steve Simon spoke personally via “Sport Poland” – and denied any emergencies: “The WTA is in a healthy financial situation. A merger with the ATP is not being considered.”
Clear words from the American. And he goes on to say that at the beginning of the year it was announced that the players would receive $400 million in compensation over the next ten years. The goal: “We want the WTA to maintain its position as the world’s leading women’s sports organization.” (ch)
Source : Blick
I’m Emma Jack, a news website author at 24 News Reporters. I have been in the industry for over five years and it has been an incredible journey so far. I specialize in sports reporting and am highly knowledgeable about the latest trends and developments in this field.
