ABSTRACT
The Covid-19 pandemic has brought sport around the globe to a halt and professional tennis is no exception. Currently the leadership of professional tennis operates as a system of interconnected stakeholders including the four Grand Slam championships, the International Tennis Federation, the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) and the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA). The purpose of this chapter is to evaluate how Covid-19 has affected the governance of professional tennis by analyzing the response from members of the tennis community, including tennis players, coaches, and national federations. Implications for the future governance of professional tennis, including the relationship between the players and the Grand Slams, a merger between the ATP and the WTA and the necessity for economic relief for players ranked outside the Top 100 are discussed. There is still uncertainty regarding when professional tennis will be able to resume play and thus additional implications may emerge as stakeholders make further decisions.
