Tennis-Clijsters wants ATP and WTA to merge as women’s tour turns 50 | Mighty 790 KFGO

Author: Amy Tennery

NEW YORK (Reuters) It is time for the men’s and women’s professional tennis bodies to unite, says former world number one Kim Clijsters, who wants a united front in the sport as the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) celebrates its 50th anniversary.

The Belgian’s remarks echo sentiments long held by the great Billie Jean King, who pioneered the circuit half a century ago and is at Wimbledon this week to celebrate the WTA’s decades of advancing women’s equality in sport.

Would I like to see that (ATP/WTA fusion)? Yes, I think it would make the brand so much stronger, the four-time Grand Slam champion told Reuters, referring to the Association of Men’s Tennis Professionals.

Often, to the outside world, people automatically assume that it is one organization. You know what I mean? Like people who don’t know much about tennis, they say, Oh yeah, ATP and WTA, but there’s one entity behind it. But it is far from it.

Clijsters, honorary president of the International Tennis Hall of Fame (ITHF), said the impact of the WTA cannot be overstated and considers the meeting between King and German great Steffi Graf as one of the biggest and most pivotal moments of her career.

This year, the ITHF released a video segment celebrating the WTA’s 50th anniversary called TennisWorthy.

“There are so many people behind the scenes who are kind of on the same page and want to see this trend (women’s tennis) take off,” said the 40-year-old Clijsters.

As long as we all have that mindset, and it’s not just one person that can make a difference, but all of us together as a strong unit, as a group, I think that’s the only way to get it to a place where it comes together. the events bring an equal number of female and male players to center court or late-night matches.

King will return to the Millennium Gloucester Hotel, where the WTA was formed at a players’ meeting, on Friday ahead of the start of the Wimbledon main draw next week.

But he has long felt that both sides, the ATP and the WTA, would be stronger together, a claim King repeated after retired Roger Federer floated the idea three years ago.

Everything has its pros and cons, right? said Clijsters.

There have been many, many, many discussions about it. And you always kind of hit a wall where not much happens and it’s left to conversations. And of course I would like there to be one organization.

(Reporting by Amy Tennery in New York; Editing by Ken Ferris)