General / Guy McCrea / 06 March 2011 /

There are now more combined WTA/ATP Tour events than ever before, with this month's prestigious tournaments at Indian Wells and Miami prime examples. Guy McCrea considers whether this is a good thing for the women's game.

One thing you quickly learn about professional tennis is that change never comes easy - not least when it comes to the development of combined events.

Take next week's tournament at Indian Wells. Way back in 1987, this crucial spot in the Californian desert hosted a WTA event for the first time, immediately prior to the long-standing men's tournament. But it wasn't until ten years later that it was played at the same time as the men. Even then, it was, along with Miami, one of only two combined WTA/ATP events on the calendar, in addition to the four (ITF controlled) Grand Slams.

Fast forward to 2011 and things are very different. For the first time, both Rome and Cincinnati will stage combined events, with the Canadian Open 'virtually combined' as it hosts the men and women in the same week, but at different locations. Not including the Slams, there are now 20 combined WTA/ATP events each season.

Why this hasn't happened sooner? Above all, both the WTA and the ATP have always been most concerned to protect their own commercial interests. Both saw the other as a rival rather than as a potential partner.

There has also been the obstacle of both tours having sold long-term licenses to tournaments - pre-existing spots on the calendar which are tough to quickly renegotiate. Consider the legal battle the ATP encountered when it downgraded and moved the previously Masters 1000 level event in Hamburg and you start to see why any calendar change can be problematic.

The benefits are obvious though. In the same place, both tours are sure to benefit from greater media exposure. Off-court photo opportunities, such as Venus Williams (priced at around [36.0] to win the 2011 French Open) and Andy Murray stopping traffic on Miami's Ocean Drive two years ago to play tennis and promote the event, are stronger when both tours are involved.

The WTA players themselves, including Kim Clijsters ([6.0] favourite to win Roland Garros) also frequently talk up what they feel to be the better atmosphere and ambiance at combined events.

But for me, there are also some dangers for the WTA. Principally, will it struggle to attract the same sort of interest that the ATP does? You almost see it already, with men's matches dominating the television schedules for large parts of events. At the Slams, it's common practice to schedule the women's match in the night session before the men. The rationale (backed up by stadium numbers) is that fans will stick around for the later men's match, but not so much if it is the other way around.

The concern is that the women's game might lose credibility if regularly placed on the same stage as the men. Historically, Rome has always garnered better attendances for the men's event than the women's. It will be interesting to see what happens this year when it is combined. The Canadian Open has also consistently published figures which show its men's event to have drawn bigger crowds than the women's tournament in each of the past 30 years.

In addition, there are still only a couple of main showcourts at a week-long combined event - but with double the number of top ranked players involved. This is fantastic value for a fan with a ground pass. But the danger for the WTA is that they will receive less television coverage if many women are placed on outside courts with no cameras around.

But these issues aside, it's easy to see that the WTA has much to gain from more combined events. Despite signing a new sponsorship agreement with a Swedish cosmetics company last month, the WTA has so far been unable to source a new tie-in for what it probably wants most of all - a new title sponsor to replace Sony Ericsson, who decided not to renew its previous $88 million deal. Although they are still involved in some other schemes with the WTA, these are not thought to be in the same league as that landmark contract.

Both tours must realise they only possess a handful of genuine global stars who have real crossover appeal - currently the Williams sisters and Maria Sharapova ([28.0] to win the French Open), along with Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Andy Roddick. Ask the average sports fan how many more they can name and you will struggle to get answers.

Today's global sports marketplace is more cut-throat than ever before. Tennis is just one sport of many. Ultimately, more combined events can be good for the WTA but if - and only if - it is a genuinely equal partnership in every way.

So, how about a completely combined men's and women's tour in the future? Don't hold your breath on that one - but I wouldn't rule it out either.

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