“Right now the process leads to inefficiency” ATP Chief Andrea Gaudenzi reveals the progress on merging all tennis bodies
Andrea Gaudenzi
ATP Chief since January 2020, former Pro Andrea Gaudenzi is one of the most controversial figures in the tennis fraternity. The 48-year old Italian despite guiding the Tour through the Pandemic where he made sure that despite pay cuts at least the initial rounds had good money to offer for low ranked players, he continues to face criticism for his other shortcomings.
One of these has been the Alexander Zverev domestic violence case which to the disappointment of many has not been investigated actively. With Novak Djokovic‘s case in Australia over the vaccine dispute alongside the rise of the Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA) started by Djokovic and Vasik Pospisil, Andrea has not been bold enough with his statements which were expected from him being the head of the ATP Tour.
Amidst all of this, the Italian has expressed his desire to unite all tennis governing bodies, the ATP, WTA, ITF and all 4 Grand Slams under one roof and make 1 single body that will govern all the things in and around the tennis world. While it is certainly a very ambitious plan, in a recent interview with German media channel Spox, Gaudenzi gave an update on where does his plan currently stand.
“The sport has seen more changes in the past two years than in the previous 20 combined. Our players, tournaments and partners have shown incredible agility and resilience in a very fluid and unpredictable situation. We have also worked more closely with the WTA on some marketing initiatives and also with the other major organizations through the launch of the T7 working group made up of the four Grand Slams, the ITF, WTA and the ATP.
“All of this makes me very optimistic that our sport can achieve great things in the future if we all work together. In the near to mid-term future, it would be my wish to see tennis evolve towards shared leadership and governance, where seven organizations work together to make decisions and move the sport forward. Right now, that process is making decisions hit, fragmented, which leads to inefficiency.
“Obviously, when we think about competing with other sports, leagues, and the entertainment giants in streaming, music, or gaming, that’s a clear disadvantage for us. Still, I have to To say that over the last 24 months we have already made progress that is extremely encouraging, so I have faith that a model like the one outlined is feasible and that it would take our sport extremely forward,” said Gaudenzi.
Andrea Gaudenzi speaks about the partnership with Netflix
The entire sports fraternity saw the success of popular online streaming service Netflix collaborating with Formula 1 to show the behind the door drama during the entire season of their show, Drive to Survive. The show not only gave insights into the lives of all the people involved in races but also boosted interest for other viewers to watch the various Grand Prix. Tennis has also decided to adopt the format and a new documentary show is set to be released on Netflix with the 2022 season being the first season of the show.
“What Netflix and Formula 1 have achieved with Drive to Survive. That’s why we’re very excited to now be collaborating with Netflix on a tennis documentary, alongside the WTA and the Grand Slams. The launch is planned for next year. Tennis has so many brilliant personalities and so many great rivalries, so many stories to tell. I’m happy if we can attract new fans in this way and through this content,” said Gaudenzi with small groups of Netflix crew spotted during the 2022 Australian Open regularly following the players.
Sarthak Shitole
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