Saudi Arabia - $1 bn offer - merger of WTA & ATP

goldfish · Futures qualifying

RE: Saudi Arabia - $1 bn offer - merger of WTA & ATP

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

The Premier Tour version explained in a bit more detail. Doesnt address the rankings question. Some sort of development tour for players 101-300 or so. Effectively, imagine the golf PGA Tour, in tennis this would be slams plus 10 96 player events. Plus a team event and year end finals, and would include a grass masters in the queens/Halle slot.

www.si.com/tennis/2024/03/19/usta-ceo-lew-sherr-details-blueprint-for-tenniss-premier-tour

Shhh · Challenger level

JonH comes home wrote:
The Premier Tour version explained in a bit more detail. Doesnt address the rankings question. Some sort of development tour for players 101-300 or so. Effectively, imagine the golf PGA Tour, in tennis this would be slams plus 10 96 player events. Plus a team event and year end finals, and would include a grass masters in the queens/Halle slot.

www.si.com/tennis/2024/03/19/usta-ceo-lew-sherr-details-blueprint-for-tenniss-premier-tour

That is a very interesting article Jon. Change is coming, it just remains to see what format that will be???

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

Shhh wrote:
JonH comes home wrote:
The Premier Tour version explained in a bit more detail. Doesnt address the rankings question. Some sort of development tour for players 101-300 or so. Effectively, imagine the golf PGA Tour, in tennis this would be slams plus 10 96 player events. Plus a team event and year end finals, and would include a grass masters in the queens/Halle slot.

www.si.com/tennis/2024/03/19/usta-ceo-lew-sherr-details-blueprint-for-tenniss-premier-tour
That is a very interesting article Jon. Change is coming, it just remains to see what format that will be???

it is funny how back in 1990, or was it 89, the ATP had their car park meeting and took over the mens tour from the ITF, and the ITF and the Slams created the big money Grand Slam Cup as a riposte of sorts to create some sort of structure around the 4 slam events with a Grand Slam Cup Finals. Seems like this is 34 years later and a big money play the other way now, with the ATP (and WTA) playing with the Saudi option.

Like Shhh, cant see a world where change doesnt happen - the Premier Tour option suggests Jan 26 could happen as a start for that new option, so either way it feels like the changes will be in the next 18 months or, whatever they are

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

The numbers here are stark and expose the problem:

70% of fans only really watch or are vested in 4 events
80% of the revenues are associated with the 4 slams and 6 other events (IW, Miami, Rome, Madrid, Cinci, Canada? Not MC, Shanghai or Paris?).

And no one gets the narrative - or lack of narrative - around how the tour works.

Stircrazy · Tennis legend

JonH comes home wrote:
The Premier Tour version explained in a bit more detail. Doesnt address the rankings question. Some sort of development tour for players 101-300 or so. Effectively, imagine the golf PGA Tour, in tennis this would be slams plus 10 96 player events. Plus a team event and year end finals, and would include a grass masters in the queens/Halle slot.

www.si.com/tennis/2024/03/19/usta-ceo-lew-sherr-details-blueprint-for-tenniss-premier-tour

For the benefit of anyone who doesn't visit the men's forum, Andy Murray's thoughts on what may or may not happen in world tennis in the not-too-distant future & which view the situation from a slightly different perspective (second half of Stu Fraser's report on his & Jack Draper's first round matches in Miami).

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

This made me stop and think and is one of the best rebuttals against the premier tour.

x.com/bm_sc_t/status/1770725610001698838

Tennis is the sport where the stars play everywhere and the premier tour would focus that on the slam nations and few others.

9vicman · Satellite level

JonH comes home wrote:
Shhh wrote:
JonH comes home wrote:
The Premier Tour version explained in a bit more detail. Doesnt address the rankings question. Some sort of development tour for players 101-300 or so. Effectively, imagine the golf PGA Tour, in tennis this would be slams plus 10 96 player events. Plus a team event and year end finals, and would include a grass masters in the queens/Halle slot.

www.si.com/tennis/2024/03/19/usta-ceo-lew-sherr-details-blueprint-for-tenniss-premier-tour
That is a very interesting article Jon. Change is coming, it just remains to see what format that will be???
it is funny how back in 1990, or was it 89, the ATP had their car park meeting and took over the mens tour from the ITF, and the ITF and the Slams created the big money Grand Slam Cup as a riposte of sorts to create some sort of structure around the 4 slam events with a Grand Slam Cup Finals. Seems like this is 34 years later and a big money play the other way now, with the ATP (and WTA) playing with the Saudi option.
Like Shhh, cant see a world where change doesnt happen - the Premier Tour option suggests Jan 26 could happen as a start for that new option, so either way it feels like the changes will be in the next 18 months or, whatever they are

It was actually the Men's Tennis Council as opposed to the ITF that ran the tour until 1989. It consisted of the ATP, ITF and the tournaments, and the ATP chose to break away from their partners.

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

9vicman wrote:
JonH comes home wrote:
Shhh wrote:
JonH comes home wrote:
The Premier Tour version explained in a bit more detail. Doesnt address the rankings question. Some sort of development tour for players 101-300 or so. Effectively, imagine the golf PGA Tour, in tennis this would be slams plus 10 96 player events. Plus a team event and year end finals, and would include a grass masters in the queens/Halle slot.

www.si.com/tennis/2024/03/19/usta-ceo-lew-sherr-details-blueprint-for-tenniss-premier-tour
That is a very interesting article Jon. Change is coming, it just remains to see what format that will be???
it is funny how back in 1990, or was it 89, the ATP had their car park meeting and took over the mens tour from the ITF, and the ITF and the Slams created the big money Grand Slam Cup as a riposte of sorts to create some sort of structure around the 4 slam events with a Grand Slam Cup Finals. Seems like this is 34 years later and a big money play the other way now, with the ATP (and WTA) playing with the Saudi option.
Like Shhh, cant see a world where change doesnt happen - the Premier Tour option suggests Jan 26 could happen as a start for that new option, so either way it feels like the changes will be in the next 18 months or, whatever they are
It was actually the Men's Tennis Council as opposed to the ITF that ran the tour until 1989. It consisted of the ATP, ITF and the tournaments, and the ATP chose to break away from their partners.

Of course - the ATP though was just the players union til that stage from the early 70s though - which of course is a void the PTPA is trying to fill now. My favourite tour or circuit was the WCT, I loved it and the concept and the Dallas finals where, for me and many, the biggest event outside Wimbledon. one of my earliest tennis experiences was the WCT Doubles Finals when it was held in the NEC in Brum and I got finals tickets with my mate and his dad. Before that, the WCT event at Olympia and later Albert Hall was great also. Easy to forget the ATP Tour isnt the way it has always been.

seagull · Hall of fame

It looks as though ATP will announce a provisional calendar for 2025 today which will see a lot of structural changes.

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

seagull wrote:
It looks as though ATP will announce a provisional calendar for 2025 today which will see a lot of structural changes.

I see Morgado is trailing it - but only mentions Estoril disappearing. Other events disappearing were announced in November but this feels like it will be more substantial now.

Please post a link when you see it Seagull!

seagull · Hall of fame

OK so not that huge.

Canada and Cincinnatti are now 2 week events.

3 more 500 events (Dallas, Doha, and Munich)

Hamburg moving from July to May

Cordoba moving to Mallorca

Los Cabos moving from Feb to July

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

seagull wrote:
OK so not that huge.

Canada and Cincinnatti are now 2 week events.

3 more 500 events (Dallas, Doha, and Munich)

Hamburg moving from July to May

Cordoba moving to Mallorca

Los Cabos moving from Feb to July

Thanks Seagull - the 500 events bit was pre announced, and Cinci and Canada. Hamburg will be week before the FO. Cordoba moving to Mallorca - will that make two events in Mallorca with the grass event as well?

Los Cabos in July feels hot, but I guess leads into the US Open swing now and is better placed from that perspective?

Not big news!!

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

JonH comes home wrote:
seagull wrote:
OK so not that huge.

Canada and Cincinnatti are now 2 week events.

3 more 500 events (Dallas, Doha, and Munich)

Hamburg moving from July to May

Cordoba moving to Mallorca

Los Cabos moving from Feb to July
Thanks Seagull - the 500 events bit was pre announced, and Cinci and Canada. Hamburg will be week before the FO. Cordoba moving to Mallorca - will that make two events in Mallorca with the grass event as well?

Los Cabos in July feels hot, but I guess leads into the US Open swing now and is better placed from that perspective?

Not big news!!

Im a bit confused by the Cordoba to Mallorca move - the ATP blurb says Cordoba is moving to Mallorca to be hosted on grass prior to Wimbledon. But there is already a Mallorca event against Eastbourne in the 2024 calendar and, I think last year. Cordoba has disappeared from 2025 calendar, for sure, but not sure how it is being moved to Mallorca if Mallorca already exists as an event in that Pre Wimbledon slot ?

Lambda · Challenger level

Mallorca has existed on a temporary short term license that expires this year. Octagon requested that Mallorca continues by using the license under which Cordoba currently uses.

-- Edited by Lambda on Friday 22nd of March 2024 03:42:57 PM