Gaudenzi points out the biggest mistake in tennis: "We are still too fragmented"

Pedro de Pablos | 23 Jun 2026 | 12.15

Gaudenzi points out the biggest mistake in tennis: "We are still too fragmented." Source: Getty Images.

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Andrea Gaudenzi has spoken loudly and clearly about one of the biggest mistakes that the tennis world currently faces. The President of ATP has come out in favor of merging the male and female circuits, including the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and the four Grand Slams, in order to reduce the significant differences between them.

According to him, this division is causing losses in the billions of dollars, as if everyone were to row in the same direction, current revenues could double or even triple, standing at 3.5 billion dollars. In an interview with Financial Times, Gaudenzi has analyzed this issue and many others of general interest, advocating for remarkable changes to keep tennis on an upward trajectory.

"We are still too fragmented, too slow, and there are too many internal struggles. We focus too much on what portion of the pie each one is entitled to, instead of growing the pie as a whole," acknowledges Gaudenzi. If it were up to him, the ATP would merge with the rest of the organizations, as it would make life much easier for all entities existing in this ecosystem.

Gaudenzi's revolution that would affect the players

In fact, according to him, "tennis is undervalued. There is a huge opportunity to increase its profitability. The sport needs to create an integrated platform that allows for movement, change, adaptation, innovation, and readiness for the challenges we will all face in the next 10 years." The beneficiaries would be everyone: tournaments, players, broadcasters, and tennis in general, as it would allow for a better understanding so that everyone is not going in different directions.

Furthermore, he delved into the issue of players, who recently complained and threatened to boycott the French Open over an economic matter. “It is not actually about the amount of money, but about aligning interests. We want the players to be partners. Currently, we have a rather awkward relationship, where the players are independent contractors. Tournaments operate on their own, which is fine, but there is not complete alignment. It could be much better.”

Why is Gaudenzi in favor of a Masters 1000 in Saudi Arabia?

The former tennis player and current ATP director is not planning to give up on this fight, as he believes it is the right move to prevent the situation from worsening. “In my second life, after being a tennis player, I became an entrepreneur. As a tech entrepreneur, you aim high and set extremely difficult goals. The opportunity is enormous, and I still have a lot of energy to keep fighting and trying.”

To conclude, Gaudenzi also mentioned the new Masters 1000 that could take place in Saudi Arabia from 2028, an idea that came from the country itself. The Middle East has already invested heavily in other sports like football, MMA, or the motorsport world, and now tennis has become a priority. "They are definitely focused on high-end properties, and we are one of them.” What is clear is that changes are coming in the world of tennis, and Andrea is in favor of all of them.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Gaudenzi señala el mayor error en el tenis: "Seguimos demasiado fragmentados"

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