The tennis season is drawing to a close, which means the “how can we change tennis?” season is getting underway again.

As 2023 turns to 2024, though, the rumblings of change seem a little more serious, and potentially transformative, than usual. We can blame—or thank—Saudi Arabia’s LIV golf tour for that. If there’s one thing that might get the various governing bodies of tennis to join together, it’s the specter of the Saudis or someone else dangling $200 million in upfront money to stars like Carlos Alcaraz or Iga Swiatek to come play for them, the way they did with Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, and a dozen other big-name golfers last year.

As a preemptive counterattack, the Grand Slams have been working on a proposal for a “premier tour” or “super tour” resembling the structure used in Formula 1 racing, according to journalists Jon Wertheim and Matthew Futterman (see his report for The Athletic). The idea would be to streamline the schedule by having the Slams join with the Masters 1000s to form an elite circuit. Players would, potentially, earn a PGA-like “tour card,” and receive a guaranteed salary.

The positives, for tour officials, would be a sport that’s simpler to follow for fans; less of a grind and a risk for players; more appealing to streaming services; and easier to sell as a package to sponsors.