The governing bodies of tennis’ four Grand Slams have reportedly rejected a proposal from the men’s ATP and women’s WTA tours that would see changes to scheduling, and pay reforms, as part of plans for ‘commercial aggregation’ of the professional circuit.
The rejection comes shortly after it was reported by news outlet The Athletic that ATP chairman Andrea Gaudenzi and his WTA counterpart Steve Simon presented their proposal last week to unite the tours and Grand Slams under one governing and corporate umbrella.
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It highlighted that tennis’ fragmented structure had weakened its ability to sell media rights and sponsorships and suggested the ATP, WTA, the Grand Slams – Wimbledon, and the Australian, French, and US Opens – as well as the owners of the other top tournaments pool their media rights and sponsorship revenues together, and distribute profits between tournaments and players in the future.
The governing bodies proposed a calendar structure that included the four Grand Slams, ten ATP Masters 1000 events, and ten WTA 1000 events, as well as a new ATP tournament scheduled for February. There would also be 16 ATP 500 events, and 17 WTA 500 events held in concurrent weeks. Overall, around 40 tournaments would be cut from the pro tennis calendar under the new plans.
A new board would be created to oversee the new venture, consisting of three representatives for the four Grand Slams, two representatives for the 1000 tournaments, and one representative for the 500 and 250 tournaments. Additionally, six players would sit on the board – three each for the ATP and WTA – and one chairperson.
However, the Grand Slams sent a letter back to the ATP and WTA saying the proposals were “no different to what we have already,” according to The Athletic.
The proposal comes almost a year after the four Grand Slams presented their plan to reform tennis by merging the Grand Slams with ten other top-tier tournaments from the ATP and WTA tours to create a premium tour.
That plan would have seen the number of events players are required to play, doubling the prize money for the top 300 male players, and quadrupling the prize fund for the top 300 female players. However, the proposal did not gain sufficient support.
This news come hot on the heels of the PTPA, the breakaway tennis union founded by tennis legend Novak Djokovic, filing a lawsuit against the ATP and WTA tours, the International Tennis Federation, and the International Tennis Integrity Agency, for “anti-competitive practices and a blatant disregard for player welfare.”
The lawsuit brands the governing bodies a “cartel” that suppresses wages, player opportunities, and rival tournaments “to the harm of players and fans alike.” The four Grand Slams, meanwhile, were named as co-conspirators.
The lawsuit also says that "professional tennis players are stuck in a rigged game" which gives them "limited control over their own careers and brands." In addition, the suit takes issue with the players’ schedules, ranking systems, and their lack of control over their image rights.
At the time, the ATP said it distributed $241.6 million to players in 2023 through prize money, bonuses, and retirement plan contributions, with a major increase in player compensation of up to $70 million in the past five years, while the WTA has said it paid out record prize money of $221 million in 2024, and also gave a $400 million increase in player compensation. It recently introduced paid maternity leave, which is funded by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund.
