Tennis' ATP, WTA in talks to discuss monumental merger as Saudi Arabia eyes the sport: report

Fifty years after the legendary Billie Jean King paved the way for the women's tennis body, the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) and the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) will be discussing a merger, according to a report in The Telegraph.

Executives of the two governing bodies are reportedly expected to meet at a two-day long summit in London at the end of September to discuss the merger.

If it goes through, the union will mean equal pay for men and women players at all levels of the Tour.

Currently, female players receive the same renumerations as their male counterparts on the Grand Slam level.

Despite that, the men earn nearly 75% more, according to the report.

The four Majors are still expected to remain separate from the potential unified Tour.

This move comes as Saudi Arabia has shown interest in the sport. Until the last week of August, the WTA was even contemplating holding its Tour finals in the country's capital Riyadh.

While the ATP has reportedly discussed introducing a 10th Masters 1000 Title in Riyadh, which will directly contend with another ATP event conducted in the neighbouring Qatar.