Barbara Rittner for combining the ATP and WTA tours
Barbara Rittner (47) has spoken out in favor of merging the women's and men's tours in professional tennis.
by SID / red
last edit: Nov 30, 2020, 04:20 pm
"From my point of view, it would make sense if the ATP, WTA, ITF and the Grand Slams sit under one roof. At the moment everyone is cooking their own thing," said the head of German women's tennis for "Münchner Merkur" and "tz".
Rittner also sees the stars of the women's scene as having a duty, like Roger Federer , Rafael Nadal or Novak Djokovic, for lower-ranking colleagues. "With the women, we have few personalities in this area," said Rittner: "Particularly seasoned players like Simona Halep and Ashleigh Barty from Australia have to communicate louder. Angelique Kerber would also be heard for sure."
The suggestion that the two big tours merge came before the Corona break, including from Roger Federer. Meanwhile, nothing has happened. Rather, Novak Djokovic founded the Professional Tennis Players Association with Vasek Pospisil, a new representation for the interests of players, which up to now has only included men.