WTA Chief Backs Calls for New Calendar 2006-11-04 13:01:09 AFP
Larry Scott, the head of women's tennis, has joined in the calls for
emergency surgery to be carried out to save a sport decimated by injury
pile-ups.
In a week when the two-million-euro Paris Masters men's event was dominated
by talk of players who weren't taking part rather than those who were, WTA
chief Scott said that a new-look schedule was the only way ahead.
But he stopped short of demanding - like disenchanted Paris tournament
director Cedric Pioline did this week - that players should be suspended if
they continued to withdraw from events.
"You have to be very careful when talking of suspensions," Scott told AFP on
the eve of the season-ending WTA championships in Madrid.
"I agree in principle with Cedric but at the start it's necessary to say to
them: 'Look, we have given you a lighter calendar which is more sensible and
more realistic. Now, it's up to you to give in return'."
The number of top ten women players pulling out of events through injury has
tripled in 2006 compared to 2005 and the WTA has responded by suggesting a
cut in the number of events the women should play from 13 to 11 in 2007.
Fines will be doubled if they miss the quota and a player will be banned
from taking a wildcard into an event which follows a tournament they have
skipped.
"I will submit these three proposals to the WTA executive board that meets
after the Masters in Madrid," said Scott.
"We are also working towards a lighter schedule for 2009, a year earlier
than expected. The season will end at the end of October rather than
mid-November as is the case today.
"The new calendar will also have breaks in the year to give players a
respite after the big tournaments.
"For example, we are talking to the ITF (International Tennis Federation)
about not having the Fed Cup the week after Wimbledon."
Scott admitted that talks aimed at moving the Australian Open, the first
Grand Slam of the season from January to mid-March, have stalled.
"It's not possible at the moment," he said.
"We respect the Grand Slams and we have to adapt to their dates but it's
certain that if we could start all over again, we would programme them in a
different way."
The WTA and the ATP have already discussed having four combined, mandatory
events offering equal prize money for men and women by 2009 -- two in the
United States in March, one in Europe before the French Open and one in the
autumn in Asia or Europe.
But that has led to opposition.
Europe's three Masters clay court events in Monte Carlo, Rome and Hamburg -
all crucial warm-up events for the French Open - could be under threat from
the new plan.
Etienne de Villiers, the head of the ATP men's tour, has already outlined
changes for 2007 which will include most tournaments having
best-of-three-set finals. At the moment, 13 events feature best-of-five sets
finals.
Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Ivan Ljubicic, Andy Roddick and David
Nalbandian all decided to skip Paris in order to keep their powder dry for
the Masters Cup in Shanghai.
At the women's event in Belgium this week, Nadia Petrova, Nicole Vaidisova
and Patty Schnyder all pulled out.
Kim Clijsters was playing her first event since August while world number
one Amelie Mauresmo will go to Madrid nursing the shoulder injury which
caused her to pull out of the Zurich event last month.
De Villiers was fuming at the Paris withdrawals.
"This reinforces my determination to introduce meaningful change to the
calendar, the structure, the incentives and sanctions needed to have
healthy, motivated top players grace our top events," he said.
At the Paris Masters, the public have voted with their feet.
The Palais Omnisports Paris-Bercy holds almost 13,000 people but Monday and
Tuesday saw just 6,164 and 7,092 tickets sold respectively.
"We are hoping for modifications next year because we can't go another two
years in this way," a dispirited Pioline said.
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