WTA founder, Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal propose merger of ATP and WTA

Tennis legend and Women's Tennis Association (WTA) founder Billie Jean King has expressed her support the call made earlier this week by current stars Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal to merge the men’s Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) and WTA.

20-time Grand Slams winner Federer, first suggested the merger on his Twitter feed on Wednesday, writing “Just wondering ... am I the only one thinking that now is the time for men's and women's tennis to be united and come together as one?

"I am not talking about merging competition on the court, but merging the 2 governing bodies (ATP and WTA) that oversee the men's and women's professional tours."

King tweeted in echoing Federer's proposal "I agree, and have been saying so since the early 1970s. One voice, women and men together, has long been my vision for tennis. The WTA on its own was always Plan B. I'm glad we are on the same page. Let's make it happen. #OneVoice.”

Nadal supported his long-time rival Federer on this notion, stating "Hey @rogerfederer as you know per our discussions I completely agree that it would be great to get out of this world crisis with the union of men's and women's tennis in one only .”

Federer and Nadal see that a merger of the organising bodies for men’s and women's professional tennis will help the sport emerge stronger from the Coronavirus lockdown which has seen the sport shut down, with Wimbledon cancelled for the first time since the Second World War and the French Open pushed back to the end of September.

Image: Roger Federer at the 2018 Australian Open.