Copyright © 2015. No duplication is permitted without permission from Bob Larson Tennis.

Previously, former CEO Stacey Allaster had stated that the WTA was no longer actively looking for a title sponsor. Instead, it signed a projected more than $15 million a year deal with Singapore for the WTA Finals, an event which accounts for 35 to 40 percent of the tour’s income, and a $52.5 a year million deal for TV rights with Perform, which officials suggested was more than had previously been brought in during the time the tour had a title sponsor.

The WTA has not had a title sponsor since Sony Ericsson declined to renew its deal starting in 2011. Prior to that, the tour had only lacked a title sponsor for five years since its founding in 1971.

However, Simon has finding a title sponsor high on his agenda. “We would love to,” he told Sport360. “But is it going to make or break the WTA? No. But is it a priority? Yes.”

Re-arranging the schedule to reduce injuries and positioning the women’s game at a premium level are two ways he plans to achieve it, in addition to providing more high-quality broadcasts and showcasing players and rivalries more effectively.

However, with a tighter sponsorship market and arguably a recent lag in the popularity of the women’s game means that a deal could be tough to find.

Acknowledged Simon, “I think if we do some of the things that we’re talking about here and begin to achieve them, I think that partnership will come. But I think it’s a reflection that we need to work on that.”

The Sony Ericsson contract was said to be almost $15 million a year for the first five years and then reduced to $9 million a year, which included naming rights to what is now the WTA Finals. The WTA has signed BNP Paribas as the title sponsor for the WTA Finals, additionally recouping some of that amount.

Simon has not given the amount of financial commitment that would be desired in a new deal.

Copyright © 2015. No duplication is permitted without permission from Bob Larson Tennis.