BREAKING NEWS: Roger Federer backs ATP and WTA to unite and work together

The coronavirus has plagued the tennis season like never before in the Open era, putting everything on hold since early March and forcing many tournaments to cancel the 2020 editions, including the legendary Wimbledon. While the players from the top are missing a chance to fight for the notable titles, those who are ranked outside the top-200 are struggling financially even more than before, with no tournaments or the opportunity to earn some money. At the moment, there's a chance for a complete lockdown for the rest of the season and the governing bodies were forced to react and make a plan to help the lower-ranked competitors in the upcoming months. The proposal came from Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer (the WTA remained silent, as usual) and the initial goal is to raise around $6 million and help those ranked between 250-700 on both the ATP and WTA List.

All four Majors, ITF, ATP and WTA are working together on the best possible model for sharing that money and what ranking group should be included, unable to help all he professionals in these troubled times for the entire globe. The crisis has uncovered all the problems between the governing bodies of our sport, with a late reaction and not a clear strategy of how to act in the upcoming months or by the end of the year. The ATP and WTA could not be more different at the moment, with diverse ranking systems and tournament categories that make things hard to follow for a regular tennis fan. The 20-time Major champion Roger Federer raised his voice on Wednesday, calling for the ATP and WTA to unite and work together in the future, saying this is the best possible time for the move that would bring benefits to the entire sport. 

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/2VT6pjo