ATP CEO: "We will survive even without the Big 3"

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The goal of Andrea Gaudenzi, current CEO of the ATP Tour, has always been to promote the growth of tennis through a series of measures aimed at increasing the popularity of a sport in the constant search for athletes capable of leaving a mark in the hearts of fans

It is inevitable that three legends like Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal have generated an almost unprecedented interest by breaking record after record and giving rise to some of the best rivalries.

The Swiss, due to continuous knee problems, decided to retire last year; while the Serbian and Spanish continue to impose their dominance on the new generations in Grand Slam tournaments.

Gaudenzi's words on the future of tennis

Looking to the future, Gaudenzi said he was optimistic about the fate of the world of tennis: "I really think the current product is great. We have survived several generational changes: first the generation of Guillermo Vilas, Bjorn Borg, John McEnroe and Boris Becker; then that of Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras.

Everyone thought there would be a big gap after Agassi and Sampras, but then came Rafa, Roger and Novak, who are breaking all records. I've never heard anyone say that a player would win more Grand Slams than Sampras, and in the last 15 years we've had three players surpass him.

In general, we are having a great moment. We have the old generation with Novak and Rafa, and a generation of players that we call NextGen with Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz or Holger Rune. I think the middle generation is also great, with Felix Auger-Aliassime, Daniil Medvedev or Stefanos Tsitsipas. All of these guys have great personalities. It is difficult to improve from this point of view, because we have three generations fighting for the most important titles in this sport."

Gaudenzi has also decided to focus on one of the best platforms operating in the streaming distribution via Internet of films, television series and other entertainment content.

Netflix has in fact produced Break Point, the new television series on the world of tennis: "I think it's great content for fans. Now more than ever, especially with the digital transformation, fans are interested in seeing content they can't see live. They want to hear the stories of the players, the tournaments, what goes on behind the scenes.

They want to know more. We've seen it with Formula 1, now with golf and tennis. It was a great collective effort from all of the T7 Group, the ATP, the WTA and the Grand Slam tournaments. I hope they continue to produce more seasons and tell more stories. Maybe we'll get more people involved in the sport, start watching more tournaments and buy more tickets."

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/VbRJQwG

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