New logo, new way forward for WTA

The WTA has created a new logo as it rebrands for a 2021 tennis relaunch.

 The first redesign of the WTA logo in 10 years sits alongside a major revamp of WTA tournaments.

“The WTA is built on the grit, passion and determination of generations of athletes and tournament promoters,” Micky Lawler, WTA President and Head of Marketing, said.

“Our new logo embraces the visual language of tennis and celebrates heroic women who come together For The Game, and we will wear it as a badge of pride and a reminder of the power of unity between strong individuals – by joining forces, we build something more great of ourselves.”

The WTA has partnered with the ATP to create consistency and alignment in professional tennis with both tours sharing the same level of tournament and numbering systems.

WTA events will now be classified as WTA 1000, WTA 500, WTA 250 (international); and WTA 125.

Meanwhile, WTA tour chief Steve Simon says China is central to their plans for 2021 in a post-covid era.

In 2020 all WTA tournaments in the Asian swing were cancelled, with a significant loss of revenue.

Simon said the news of vaccines was positive and he expected some ‘level of normality’ to return next year.

“We have the foresight now to know what we’re dealing with,” he said.

“Contingency planning can be in place, things that we didn’t have the advantage of in 2020.

“For 2021 we’re planning our full calendar, our full complement of events which usually will fluctuate between 53 and 55 events a year.”

Simon said he would love to see a women’s version of the team-based ATP Cup, the men’s tournament which debuted in 2020 in Australia.