Kim Clijsters calls for ATP and WTA tours merger: "There have been many, many, many conversations about doing that"

Former World No. 1 Kim Clijsters has called for the merger of ATP and WTA tours.

The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) was founded on June 21, 1973, at a meeting of players called by Billie Jean King at London’s Gloucester Hotel. This step was taken as the players were frustrated by sexism in the sport.

With the WTA celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, former Belgian player Clijsters has called for the WTA's merger with men's professional tennis body, the ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals). She believes that having a single body will make the sport stronger.

"Would I like to see it (ATP/WTA merger)? Yeah I think it would make the brand so much stronger," she told Reuters.

"A lot of times to the outside world people automatically assume that it is one organisation. You know what I mean? Like people who don't know much about tennis, they say, 'Oh yea, ATP and WTA', but behind it there's one unit.' But that's, you know, far from that," she added.

The four-time Grand Slam champion further stated that a discussion about the same has been had many times, without any resolution.

"There's pros and cons to everything, right? There have been many, many, many conversations about doing that. And you kind of always bump into a wall where, you know, not much happens and it stays with conversations. And of course, I would like to see, you know, there being one organisation," she said.

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"I tried to get us together back in 1968 and 1970 and the men rejected us" - Billie Jean King supports the merger of ATP and WTA

Billie Jean King at the 2023 Australian Open.

Billie Jean King, who spearheaded the formation of the WTA, has been a strong proponent of merging men's and women's tours. She has stated that creating "one voice" makes business sense.

King also believes tournaments will make "a lot more money" when men and women play at the same event.

"I tried to get us together back in 1968 and 1970 and the men rejected us. I have always felt that if we were together, we would have one voice and not just what we can do on the court but what we could do for the world off the court as one," she said (via insidethegames).

"Just from a pure business point of view, when you have the men and women together the tournament is worth a lot more money. I think we need to discuss that more often. The men always say that they are so big about business and yet they are the ones that don’t want us to be together when we should be," she added.