Tennis Chief Suggests Premier League Model for Super Tour Involving Wimbledon

Rumors of a Super Tour

Conversations about reforms in the tennis world have been rife in recent years, with talks of an ATP-WTA merger and now a potential super tour involving the Grand Slams and Masters 1000 tournaments. This new tour would separate the ATP and WTA to control the smaller 500 and 250 events, raising concerns about the impact on lower-ranked players who rely on these tournaments.

However, the executive director of the PTPA, Ahmad Nassar, sees this as an opportunity for tennis to adopt a Premier League model. He believes that the top end of tennis could provide support to the lower tiers and ensure the growth of the sport, creating a system with promotions and relegations that would benefit all players.

Nassar stated, 'I think this is a unique, frankly generational opportunity, whether it’s what was reported [the super tour with Slams and Masters] or any of these other options, to fundamentally reform the top end of tennis. Similar to the creation of the EPL. And then that can elevate the entire sport.'

Pushing for Change

Nassar emphasized the need for change in tennis, highlighting the current fragmentation, lack of revenue maximization, and scheduling issues. He explained that the PTPA, as an independent player group, is in a position to push for necessary reforms and ask important questions that have never been addressed before.

By challenging the current structure and advocating for players' interests, Nassar believes that the PTPA can help drive the necessary changes to bring the sport to where it should be. He stated, 'We can help push people to making the necessary changes to really bring the sport to where it should be.'

Looking Towards the Future

With the tennis world currently divided between multiple organizations, such as the ATP, WTA, and ITF, Nassar believes that any potential reform, including a super tour or a merger between the ATP and WTA, would be better than the current fragmented system.

While acknowledging the challenges and complexities of implementing new models, Nassar remains optimistic about the possibilities. He stated, 'It’s hard to envision landing on one of those permutations that is worse than the status quo [...] I think there’s only different versions of good that can come out of this.'