- Women Tennis Association (WTA) President Steve Simon has brushed off claims that the outfit will go broke by 2026
- He refuted these assertions recently made by the vice-president of the Kazakhstan Tennis Federation
- Polsy earlier stated that the WTA couldn’t operate on its own beyond 2027
Women Tennis Association (WTA) President Steve Simon has brushed off claims that the outfit will go broke by 2026 if it fails to merge with ATP Tour.
He refuted these assertions recently made by the vice president of the Kazakhstan Tennis Federation, Yuri Polsy.
Polsy earlier stated that the WTA couldn’t operate on its own beyond 2027, and its survival is pegged on a merger with the men’s tennis ATP Tour.
The Kazakh who doubles up as an advisor to the Kazakhstan Tennis Federation for international affairs, recently engaged in a comprehensive discussion with the Russian tabloid Championat.
Among the various topics discussed, one of the notable concerns was the concerning financial state of the WTA, as expressed by him.
In a startling disclosure, he asserted that the WTA, headquartered in Florida, was on the brink of bankruptcy.
WTA chairman Steven Simon. Photo/Sky Sports
He stated that in order to provide more incentives for elite players to compete in them, the women’s governing body reportedly added more prestigious events to their 2023 tour season.
In turn, this would aid in raising the amount of money needed to keep the ship afloat.
“They are in a very bad place and could even go bankrupt in 2026 or 2027 if their financial situation doesn’t change. For the WTA it is a matter of survival; for the ATP-a matter of reputation,” stated the Kazakh tennis vice president.
Polsy further disclosed that the proposal to merge WTA and ATP was initially put forth by retired 20-time Grand Slam champion, Roger Federer, back in 2020.
The prospective alliance between these organizations aimed to address the core of the player payment disparity issue by establishing a consistent demand for both men’s and women’s tennis.
This initiative would also scrutinize the prevailing “demand and supply” dynamics that have led to female tennis players earning less than their male counterparts in the sport.
However, Simon refutes these claims, saying that WTA is in a good place financially and it is not thinking of joining forces with ATP as Polsky suggests.
The WTA president noted that the outfit increased the prize pool for female tennis players by $400 million for the next 10 years.
Peng Shuai. Photo/People
“The financial situation of the WTA is good and we are not considering a merger with the ATP. In fact, earlier this season we announced a $400 million raise for female tennis players over the next 10 years. We are the leading organization in women’s sport,” he said according to Sport Poland.
He insists that there won’t be a merger anytime soon, but the two circuits will continue to cooperate for the benefit of tennis.
Due to the Peng Shuai case, the WTA lost millions of dollars when it vetoed China. There were nine scheduled tournaments, including the Shenzhen women’s Masters that were not played.
It made a comeback in Guangzhou in September. The rejection of some of the best players to compete in China also forced negotiations to be put on hold in order to shift the Masters event to Saudi Arabia in 2023.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login