JAKARTA - Some time ago, two top tennis players Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal voiced the idea of fusing the men's and women's tennis association. Now, the idea has received a positive response from WTA Tour chief executive Steve Simon.
Simon said that the merger of the two organizations made sense. This he said in an interview with the New York Times published on Tuesday, May 5.
"I was never afraid of a full merger. I was never afraid," said Simons.
"I will of course be the first to support it ... Of course there is still a long way to go to get there, but I think it makes sense," he continued.
Simon believes that the unification of the two associations will not happen in the near future. However, it is believed that the situation full of uncertainty due to the COVID-19 pandemic will provide an impetus to reach an agreement more quickly regarding the merger.
"This is a unique time. Crises and challenges can sometimes present opportunities," said Simon.
Both WTA and ATP have been forced to make a lot of savings since the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. Both tours were suspended during the crisis, as were a number of other tournaments.
Simon thinks that the merger between the two tennis associations is not a step to save the organization.
"This is not about trying to save the WTA. We will be fine, if we can do business well and we will eventually return to sports together, I think the WTA will really support this concept," he concluded.
Previously, Federer and Nadal voiced support for the merger of ATP and WTA. This statement immediately caught the attention of a number of tennis sports figures, one of which was the tennis legend Billie Jean King.
Just wondering… ..am I the only one thinking that now is the time for men's and women's tennis to be united and come together as one?
- Roger Federer (@rogerfederer) April 22, 2020
"I agree, and have been saying it since the early 1970s. One voice, sons and daughters together ... Let's make it happen," King wrote on Twitter.
The English, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, and French versions are automatically generated by the AI. So there may still be inaccuracies in translating, please always see Indonesian as our main language. (system supported by DigitalSiber.id)
