280 of her current 1635 ranking points come from her 2 Winter clay titles. She's done great on hardcourts this year, so her current ranking is a product of a lot more than clay results.

I'm not even a fan, really. I think I'm more impressed that a 26 year old is in the midst of a career season, and has become one of the top players in the WTA. And that 7 of the Top 15 players are 25 or older.

I would like to believe that she will act like a true top 10 player and won't play any before the proper clay season...

If there weren't TWO hardcourt seasons and one clay I wouldn't have a problem with that... but since there are, don't know why she should favor one instead of the other. She should be able to play where she is most content.

I just looked at Pennetta's activity for the year. She's played in a whopping TEN events that are Tier III or IV. I think it's worth noting that in the first nine, she wasn't even in the top twenty. Her big jumps started with her final at LA (hardcourt). From LA (end of July) to now, she's earned 910 points, and 40 of those are from the Tier III Bali.

So in the last three months, she's earned a little over half her points, and from "premiere" events.

I agree. She should be free to play wherever she wants and get all the points and hence the best ranking she can based on her skill set.

They've done all they can to minimize South America and clay court play in general with Roadkill and Brave New World. As it stands now 2009 will have the winter hard court season, the summer hard court season, and the new Asian hardcourt season.

Adding:
http://thetennistimes.com/dominika-c...jurgen-melzer/

Posted on October 23, 2008 - by The Insider | Visited 8 times, 8 so far today

Dominika Cibulkova Now Dating Jurgen Melzer

Random
http://docs.google.com/File?id=dhr6xqrv_181dr3h5m9n_bAccording to Austrian website laola1.at, Slovakian WTA star Dominika Cibulkova is the new girlfriend of Austrian ATP player Jurgen Melzer. Cibulkova and Melzer, who played together the mixed doubles event at the US Open, are reported to be more than tennis partners.
Cibulkova was related this summer to ATP player Gael Monfils, while Melzer is a real lady-killer on the Tour, as he has previously dated Anastasia Myskina and Nicole Vaidisova.
Watch out ladies Melzer seems to change his ladies more than he wins ATP matches.

oh, 3! hardcourt stretches now. Great, more unbalance.http://forum.talkabouttennis.com/ima...s/rolleyes.png

When's the Asian hardcourt season?
I truly hope that Fed and Rafa can get clay and grass more space and prestige.

I've allways disliked how the grass season pretty much doesn't exist, as a result of Wimbledon being so close to the French. it's like two weeks long, and if people want a week off before Wimbledon they can only play one tourney. I know it's a pipe dream but I really wish that they could change the schedule, either Wibldeon back of the French up or some of both, so that we can actually have some sembelance of a grass court season

Both events scream "tradition" and refuse to budge from their places in the schedule amenssen.

I see the changes in both tours as the proponents of hard court tennis forcing the top players to play their events - read US Open Series - at the expense of clay. Grass season was already reduced to a two week slot on the calendar so in a way it was less affected than clay. With the A$ian events being added and/or moved around you ju$t have more hard court play than ever. It's why the European players made the move to get on the ATP council. The South Americans have been pretty quiet.