$2 billion on the line for the tennis world as Saudi Arabia proposes unbelievable deal to merge the men’s and women’s Tours!

The Premium Tour is yet to be implemented after a failed agreement between the WTA and ATP.

$2 billion on the line for the tennis world as Saudi Arabia proposes unbelievable deal to merge the men’s and women’s Tours!

Massimo Calvelli, ATP CEO & Kevin Foster, Head of Corporate Affairs, PIF (Image via ATP Tour)

Saudi Arabia has offered a $2 billion take-it-or-leave-it deal that will seek to merge the men’s and women’s tours (ATP and WTA). This calculated move comes just weeks after the Saudi Public Investment Fund’s (PIF) five-year partnership deal with the ATP, which includes live rankings.

According to Telegraph Sports, following a meeting of the tennis organizers in Indian Wells, ATP chairman Andrea Gaudenzi had a closed-door meeting with the Masters tournament organizers. 

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The ATP boss opened up about an offer from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund that would see a merger between the ATP and WTA for $2 billion.

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In addition, Gaudenzi revealed that the deal comes with a 90-day expiration period if it is not accepted. This also means that the four Grand Slams are not part of the Saudi offer. Notably, this doesn’t come as a surprise move by the Middle Eastern country, but the fast-paced move at which they want to get tennis raises suspicions among fans.

This coming month, the PIF pushed for a Saudi Arabia Masters 1000 tournament to be hosted in the same calendar week as the United Cup. However, the idea was strongly opposed by Tennis Australia chairman Craig Tiley, who established the United Cup event in the same slot.

Meanwhile, a few weeks ago, the PIF and the ATP signed a five-year partnership deal that would see them have the naming rights to the ATP Live rankings and tournaments in Indian Wells, Miami, Madrid, and Beijing. 

Besides that, there have been growing rumors of an agreed-upon deal between the WTA Finals and the Saudi PIF, which has led to a divided opinion among players and legends.

Premium Tour yet to be implemented

Months after the plan for a Premium Tour was ideated, it has yet to be implemented. Last year, Tennis Australia chairman Craig Tiley stated the idea that the Premium Tour would achieve equal pay for women and men across the tennis calendar.

Craig_Tiley
Craig Tiley (Via Open Source/X)

Despite the likes of Billie Jean King and her partner Ilana Kloss backing the revolutionized plan, the project seems not to be heading nowhere. The Premium Tour project will see somewhere between 11 and 14 combined tournaments joining the Grand Slams on a new circuit.

However, it means splitting the ATP and WTA tournaments into two. With tournaments such as Indian Wells, Cincinnati, and the Italian Open stepping up to the Premium Tour, less prestigious events will be effectively downgraded onto a Development Tour. 

The ATP and WTA are yet to agree on this, as the ATP is less keen to see their top tournaments migrate to a less developed Tour.

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