Australian coach Cahill rallies behind ATP/WTA merger idea

Australian Darren Cahill, the coach of two-times Grand Slam winner Simona Halep, has backed the idea of merging the men’s and women’s tours, saying it would make tennis simpler for both players and fans.

Roger Federer called for a merger between the two governing bodies on Wednesday on social media with the men’s ATP Tour Chairman Andrea Gaudenzi and his women’s WTA Tour counterpart Steve Simon both welcoming the suggestion.

Cahill, who has also previously worked with Andre Agassi and Lleyton Hewitt, said uniformity in rules and rankings will help all stakeholders.

“I think, hypothetically, it would be a pretty good position for a tennis player to be in, because you know that every single decision being made is made in the best interest of the game,” Cahill told the National newspaper.

Governance in tennis remains fractious with as many as seven associations running different parts the game.

Besides the ATP and the WTA Tours, the sport is also controlled by the International Tennis Federation and the boards of the four Grand Slam tournaments.

Currently TV viewers need different pay-TV platforms to watch tennis matches and a merger of the Tours would simplify television contracts and sponsorship deals.

“At the moment, as a fan of tennis, if you want to try to follow tennis, whether it’s Davis Cup, Fed Cup, the WTA, the ATP, smaller events, there are so many different platforms a fan has to subscribe to and it’s confusing,” Cahill said.

“Social media becomes much easier as well, if the tours are merged. Instead of competing against each other for a social media space, that becomes all one.”

Issues over equal prize money and equal standing are roadblocks that need to be crossed, Cahill said.

“At the moment the men command a little more at the negotiating table when we’re talking about TV rights,” he said.

“I think, to a large extent, everyone will take this. Obviously there would be some resentment from some male players but the majority I think would see the benefits and understand that this is the right thing to do.”

Meanwhile, Laura Robson also backs ATP and WTA merger but wants assurances women will get an equal voice.

Former British number one Laura Robson believes a merger between the ATP and WTA would be good for the sport but only if the women’s game received an equal voice within a new governing body.

Robson offered support for the idea but said it must be done on an equal basis.

“I think for tennis it would be a good thing,” she told BBC Radio Five Live. “For the WTA I would like for them not to be lost in the shuffle a little bit. As long as there is someone in charge considering all sides of the game, not just the men’s tournaments, I can see it working.

“It’s a difficult one in terms of fans. It’s a much better experience if everything is under the same umbrella and they don’t have to subscribe to WTA TV, ATP TV, the ITF, it can be so hard to understand as a fan where to actually watch tennis.

“If it can come under one umbrella it’s a much better experience, but it depends if it turns out how the WTA want it.”

Robson warned that while the idea would have many benefits, issues like equal prize money could prove a huge hurdle to actually making it happen.

“It’s a difficult one because you don’t know how many of the guys fully support the merger in the way that Federer and (Rafael) Nadal have suggested,” she said. “I think it would be a lot better for the sport but logistically I don’t know how it would work around things like equal prize money.

“You’ve got a tournament like Rome where it’s clearly very different between the men and the women in terms of prize money.

“It’s a logistical minefield and it’s going to take a long time to come up with something that’s good for everyone involved.”

Agencies