"Everyone is in their own self-interest": Jessica Pegula unsure if ATP-WTA merger has legs with 'fractionalized' nature of tennis

Jessica Pegula has weighed in on the potential mooted move for the WTA Finals to Saudi Arabia and isn't against the move happening after doing due diligence in recent months.

Pegula said that players have been canvassed on the idea and she has spoken to fellow pro, Ons Jabeur about it. The American said that there has been feedback that with fears surrounding laws against women, those have been slightly alleviated.

“To have it be a women’s-only event where we feel like we get treated better almost than any other event is pretty cool for us," Pegula told Front Office Sports.  
"We’ve definitely spent a lot of time talking to women in Saudi Arabia. We have [No. 6–ranked Tunisian player] Ons Jabeur, who is also from the Middle East and a couple other girls. "We’ve really taken the time to speak to them, and try to understand that and be like, 'Are we making the right decision? Are we going to be helping women and women’s sports in those countries?' And so far the feedback we’ve gotten has been, 'Yes, it’s changing.'"

As well as the rumoured WTA Finals move, the ATP and WTA merger has been an in and out topic in recent months. But that is less clear cut believes Pegula albeit not in terms of opinion.

A breakaway/Premium Tour has been discussed, but as Pegula admitted, the issue comes with tennis as a sport being heavily fractionalized. The Grand Slams and ATP/WTA are separate and as are the men's and women's tour making it difficult to get anything done.

"It seems like everyone is pretty open to it. I feel like I would be open to it. I feel like it would make sense that it would be bigger and maybe better," Pegula said.

"It’s so hard with tennis because everything is so fractionalized and everything’s its own: There are the Grand Slams, and the ATP, and the WTA, and the ITFs, and every tournament is kind of run individually. So, it makes it really hard to grow the sport when everyone is in their own self-interest."