[ASSESTYTEAH]

WTA Tour says player withdrawals down by 1 third
Associated Press
2009-11-02 02:08 AM Fonts Size:


The chief executive of the WTA Tour says a new scheduling system with fewer mandatory tournaments has seen player withdrawals go down by more than one third in 2009.
The tour lowered the number of tournaments top players must enter from 13 to 10 this year and has extended its offseason by two weeks.

Tour CEO Stacey Allaster said Sunday after the final of the season-ending Sony Ericsson Championships that the new scheduling has been "a fantastic success." She says player withdrawals from top events is down by 34 percent compared to last year.

Allaster also said attendance was up 11 percent for the premier tournaments in 2009, while prize money increased by 34 percent despite the financial crisis.


http://www.etaiwannews.com/etn/news_...&lang=eng_news

[gardenerextraordinaire]

ROFL! I doubt they have data on top players' early round losses because they were required to be at an event, but didn't really want to be there...

[ASSESTYTEAH]

Funny, it didn't seem that withdraws were down that much. I guess maybe when you only focus on the star names withdrawing week after week, you don't notice the lower ranked players showing up.

The prize money increase is huge. The LPGA fired their director in part because their prize money was going down this year.

[CicyHannyCeli]

Top players did lose more events than normal due to various reasons(ie - Serena during the clay season playing injured).

However, I think Roadmap was ok but they do need to schedule their Premier 5 better(not having them a week before the Mandatories one despite a bye to the semifinalists)

[r5YOPDyk]

Quote from Stacey Allaster:

Obviously in this economy, there was a 34 percent increase in prize money, which was incredible. For the first time in many years, all top-10 players who were part of the bonus pool in 2009 will all receive a bonus pool payout. That hasn’t happened since 2004, and that’s all tied to their delivery of commitment. And Jelena Jankovic will receive a million-dollar bonus-pool payout.

Are you kidding me???

[CicyHannyCeli]

Quote from Stacey Allaster:

Obviously in this economy, there was a 34 percent increase in prize money, which was incredible. For the first time in many years, all top-10 players who were part of the bonus pool in 2009 will all receive a bonus pool payout. That hasn’t happened since 2004, and that’s all tied to their delivery of commitment. And Jelena Jankovic will receive a million-dollar bonus-pool payout.

Are you kidding me???

No. Jelena was number 1 at the end of 2008 and met all of her 2009 Roadmap commitments.

4 Mandatories events = 400 K
4 Premier 5 events = 400 K
Played all 9 Mandatories and Premier 5 events = 100 K
Made 2 Premier 700 commitment(hard designated) events = 100 K

[gardenerextraordinaire]

No. Jelena was number 1 at the end of 2008 and met all of her 2009 Roadmap commitments.

It's a pity her 2009 season was so painful to watch. I guess I'm happy for Stacey Allaster. And the dreamland in which her mind lives.
































Other than that one final against Dinara. Which was still painful, but for different reasons.

[attackDoold]

Top players did lose more events than normal due to various reasons(ie - Serena during the clay season playing injured).

I would have to hear about a different player to be persuaded.

[attackDoold]

No. Jelena was number 1 at the end of 2008 and met all of her 2009 Roadmap commitments.

4 Mandatories events = 400 K
4 Premier 5 events = 400 K
Played all 9 Mandatories and Premier 5 events = 100 K
Made 2 Premier 700 commitment(hard designated) events = 100 K

Holy shit. I didn't even know about all that. Well good for her.

[gardenerextraordinaire]

I would have to hear about a different player to be persuaded.

Well, there was Venus during the summer and fall, but that probably doesn't count

Dinara doesn't count, either, because, well, she was just such a red hot mess. There were others, but I'm just drawing a blank.

I would suggest Wozniacki as someone who had some nutty early-round losses, but that girl is thrilled to attend the opening of an envelope. So we can probably rule her out.

[r5YOPDyk]

Holy shit. I didn't even know about all that. Well good for her.

Me neither! I am fairly confident JJ will continue to bank in the $1 million bonus with her only competition being CWoz.

At this rate JJ's bonus money will surpass her match-earned sum.

[CicyHannyCeli]

Serena will be the one eligible for one million dollars in 2010 if she somehow decides to play Indian Wells along with the other tournaments that Jelena played.

Caroline will be only eligible for 500K.

[Muramoursuard]

So wait, a player who plays every week (even if that tank/blow/give up an early round match because of exhaustion or whatever) gets a bonus? Um... I thought the idea of the Roadmap was to have the players pick the events they want and would show up at and have a longer off season to recover...not play themselves into exhaustion straight to the bank.

So essentially nothing has changed...players are playing too much just now they get a reward for overplaying?

[lerobudrse]

So wait, a player who plays every week (even if that tank/blow/give up an early round match because of exhaustion or whatever) gets a bonus? Um... I thought the idea of the Roadmap was to have the players pick the events they want and would show up at and have a longer off season to recover...not play themselves into exhaustion straight to the bank.

So essentially nothing has changed...players are playing too much just now they get a reward for overplaying?

[gardenerextraordinaire]

So wait, a player who plays every week (even if that tank/blow/give up an early round match because of exhaustion or whatever) gets a bonus? Um... I thought the idea of the Roadmap was to have the players pick the events they want and would show up at and have a longer off season to recover...not play themselves into exhaustion straight to the bank.

So essentially nothing has changed...players are playing too much just now they get a reward for overplaying?

The Canadian event got what it wanted, Jeanne. That's all that matters.

[bobibnoxx]

The Canadian event got what it wanted, Jeanne. That's all that matters.

I just want to say your hate for Rogers Cup has amused me for years now.

[gardenerextraordinaire]

I just want to say your hate for Rogers Cup has amused me for years now.

[loikrso]

So wait, a player who plays every week (even if that tank/blow/give up an early round match because of exhaustion or whatever) gets a bonus? Um... I thought the idea of the Roadmap was to have the players pick the events they want and would show up at and have a longer off season to recover...not play themselves into exhaustion straight to the bank.

So essentially nothing has changed...players are playing too much just now they get a reward for overplaying?

Now I finally understand this roadmap thing. Thanks so much for explaining it so clearly.

I'm serious, too.

[JeremyIV]

Apropos of nothing really except that it made me giggle...when I minimize my window screen for this thread, at the bottom of my computer screen the little tab reads "WTA:Roadmap A Hug..."

It's stupid but it just made me .

[attackDoold]

Apropos of nothing really except that it made me giggle...when I minimize my window screen for this thread, at the bottom of my computer screen the little tab reads "WTA:Roadmap A Hug..."

It's stupid but it just made me .

Hilarious.