ATP-WTA integration efforts pick up speed as joint program 'Tennis United' makes a splash
ATP and WTA took to their social media handles on Wednesday to announce a new and shinier season of their joint web-series called 'Tennis United'. The Leaders Sports Award-winning series was released during the tennis' COVID-19 suspension last year, and its second season features some of the biggest male and female stars currently active.
Hosted virtually by Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Vaskek Pospisil, the first season of Tennis United offered fans a look into the lives of professional tennis players. Each episode focussed on a different issue - ranging from mental health to Black Lives Matter to social media - and saw Mattek Sands and Pospisil interview their fellow pros.
Mattek-Sands will return for the second season, which will feature a slightly different format. Launched as an eight-part series, each episode will feature two tennis players - one from the WTA and one from the ATP - discussing a key issue.
Both WTA and ATP attached a short trailer for the second season - called 'Tennis United: CrossCourt' - in their respective posts. The first episode, entitled "Relationships", will feature newlyweds Elina Svitolina and Gael Monfils.
Other big names who will be featured in subsequent episodes include Madison Keys and Dominic Thiem (Episode 3), Belinda Bencic and Grigor Dimitrov (Episode 4), Hubert Hurkacz and Iga Swiatek (Epsiode 7), and Andrey Rublev and Aryna Sabalenka (Episode 8).
The WTA and ATP transitioned to an integrated marketing operation in January earlier this year. And Tennis United has been the biggest joint effort undertaken by the governing bodies of men's and women's tennis since then.
Dan Ginger, Senior Vice President for Branding and Marketing, released an official statement on Tennis United's "united" vision.
"Few professional sports have the opportunity that tennis does, to tell an authentic story of male and female athletes united. This has always been our vision for Tennis United," Ginger said.
"Creating a centralized marketing team across the tours allows us to further reduce fragmentation within the sport and focus on positioning tennis as a leading global entertainment property," he added.
All episodes of Tennis United: CrossCourt will be available for streaming starting 25 August, on the WTA and ATP's official digital partners as well as their YouTube channels.
"This is an exciting time for professional tennis" - WTA President Micky Lawler
The top bosses of the ATP and WTA were also quick to react to the announcement. Micky Lawler, president of the women's body who also oversaw the WTA's first rebrand in a decade earlier this year, said it was an "exciting" time for tennis.
Lawler added that Tennis United could pave the way for "a new era of storytelling".
"This is an exciting time for professional tennis," Lawler said. "This past year, we gave the WTA a new visual identity while we simultaneously built a more formal collaboration with the ATP. Both initiatives have resonated with our audience."
"We’re extremely pleased to announce our marketing alignment with the ATP and look forward to delivering a new era of storytelling that celebrates the best of our sport," she added.
Andrea Gaudenzi, chairman of the men's governing body, echoed the sentiment. The Italian stated that high marketability of both the men's and women's games was one of tennis' unique selling points.
Gaudenzi added that the combined marketing team served as a significant step forward in "packaging and distributing tennis as one sport".
"It’s one of our sport's unique selling points that we have such a strong product on the men’s and women’s side," Gaudenzi said. "Our biggest events are combined, and fans see us as part of the same storytelling throughout the season."
"Bringing the tours’ marketing teams together is an important step towards packaging and distributing tennis as one sport, which ultimately will help us enhance the experience for fans," he added.