Tennis Related - Off Court Serious Issues

[meganfernandez]

The average salary for a WNBA player is $147K. Remember that the reason Brittney Griner was playing in Russia was because that salary is not enough.
Devil's advocate. Suppose the WTA becomes unviable. Prize money drops and tournaments start to fold. Does joining the ATP really solves the problem? And if so, how much will the men be willing to put down? One thing is to subsidize; let's say, the WTA section of the tournaments will get an increase (a 500's winner gets at least $250K). Another thing would be for the prize money to be the same, because I really doubt that the men will take that much of a cut from their prize money to subsidize the women (the subsidy will come from their pockets).
Last. The NBA has far deeper pockets than the ATP. Subsidizing the WNBA is a good thing because it is the Association that does it, not the players.

Dang, I'd be more than happy to make $150k for half the year! I know that's why a lot of WNBA players also play overseas in their off-season, but I'd just find a part-time gig here. Guessing Russia will have a recruitment problem after Greiner's arrest. Who in their right mind would go play there now?

[meganfernandez]

David Law is arguing for the merger of the tours here. The WTA is poorly managed, has little to no visibility in sport despite it being the best sport for women in terms of money which is saying a lot given the difference between what Iga and Carlitos were paid, and a merger would reward the incompetence of WTA management. JMHO






DG
@Bestof5forever
Apr 23
Surrendering that women’s tennis cannot be equal and they must rely on the men.

And the men must hold a weight around their ankles as they try to gain parity with other professional sports

Wonder why it's so hard to find good management for the WTA. Salary for the C-suite?

[ponchi101]

...

Dang, I'd be more than happy to make $150k for half the year! I know that's why a lot of WNBA players also play overseas in their off-season, but I'd just find a part-time gig here. Guessing Russia will have a recruitment problem after Greiner's arrest. Who in their right mind would go play there now?

Non-Americans in the region. But any American, athlete or not, going to Russia at the moment is nuts.

[ponchi101]

...

Wonder why it's so hard to find good management for the WTA. Salary for the C-suite?

I wonder why the WTA cannot find a good woman-manager. Just about the optics: not a good look to have a man running the show.

[ti-amie]

...

Wonder why it's so hard to find good management for the WTA. Salary for the C-suite?

I wonder why the WTA cannot find a good woman-manager. Just about the optics: not a good look to have a man running the show.

Remember Stacy who got rid of all the small European tournaments and moved the WTA to Asia after the US Open? She couldn't foresee the pandemic, no one could, but those small tournaments usually had good attendance. Instead we get cavernous empty stands.

The money is going somewhere and it sure isn't to the players.

[Suliso]

Dang, I'd be more than happy to make $150k for half the year! I know that's why a lot of WNBA players also play overseas in their off-season, but I'd just find a part-time gig here. Guessing Russia will have a recruitment problem after Greiner's arrest. Who in their right mind would go play there now?

Sure, but there are other places to go to in Europe for extra cash during the off season. Turkey, Italy and Germany all have strong leagues.

[ti-amie]

Farewell Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic?
April 25, 2023

Is elite WTA tennis finished in the Bay Area? It sure looks that way.

According to multiple sources, the Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic (MSVC) will not be played this year at San Jose State.

Inside Tennis got word of the move over two months ago. And recently there have been additional confirmations. But there still has not been any official notice of the move.

The WTA event was first staged in 1971 in San Francisco. If it leaves the Bay Area, it would be the first time in 134 years that the region lacked a truly elite level tennis tournament.

In February, reliable industry sources informed Inside Tennis that the tourney had been sold to venture capitalist Mark Ein, who owns Washington DC’s Citi Open. Analysts suggested that Ein, who had also owned the Washington Kastles, would fold the San Jose event into his own Washington tourney.

On February 20, we tweeted: “Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic Sold: Sources indicate San Jose WTA tourney…has been sold to businessman Mark Ein & #MubadalaSiliconValleyClassic…will be folded into his Citibank Open.” No one contradicted our tweet.

In fact, additional sources confirmed it, and it became clear that the tourney would not be returning to its San Jose State site. And apparently Mubadala will no longer be a sponsor. The investment company did not respond to our inquiries.

Inside Tennis then posted a second tweet, saying we had additional confirmation that the tourney would be leaving. Again, no one disputed our tweet. Eventually we got through to Ein, who said he hadn’t purchased the MSVC. But when we asked him other questions, such as are you trying to buy it, are others trying to buy it or is it going to be held somewhere else this year, Ein refused to comment.

Mark Ein has done tremendous good for tennis, yet it was a curious conversation. The WTA’s well-respected CEO, Steve Simon, twice told Inside Tennis that his group hadn’t been notified of any change. Most recently, on April 19, he wrote us: “As of this date we have not received a request for the event to move. We are aware that there have been discussions surrounding a potential move of the event, but, again, nothing has been submitted for the WTA’s review and consideration.”

The tourney is still listed on the WTA schedule, but there is no ticket information. The tourney’s communication director has not returned our emails. For the first time in 41 years, the tourney hasn’t been in contact with Inside Tennis’s marketing department.

Co-founded 52 years ago by Billie Jean King, the Bay Area tourney played a critical role in women’s sports and was the longest running all-women tennis tourney in the world. The Bay Area’s premier men’s event, San Jose’s SAP Open, that traced its origins back to 1889, departed in 2013.

In 1971 Billie Jean beat Rosie Casals to win the first title at the San Francisco Civic Auditorium. Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova soon became staples. Venus’s 1994 emergence was the most ballyhooed debut in tennis history. Seles, Graf, Clijsters, Davenport and Sharapova all shined. Players of color – from Rosie Casals to the Williams sisters, Madison Keys, Naomi Osaka and Coco Gauff – were featured.

When it was the Bank of the West Classic, it thrived for 20 years at Stanford. The tourney seemed pitch perfect. Spectators took in the beauty of the breathtaking campus and the fan-friendly Taube Family Tennis Center. Willie Mays, Barry Bonds and Richard Williams all appeared. The press room sizzled. But as Indian Wells, the Canadian Open, DC and Cincinnati got bigger, the Bay Area tourney seemed to lose its luster.

Then a big Stanford donor didn’t want a commercial tourney on campus and the Bank of the West ended its sponsorship. In 2018 the tourney moved to San Jose State. Writer Bruce Jenkins soon noted, “Attendance was bleak, the atmosphere was largely tepid and the element of star power had vanished…People were wondering whether it had a future.”

Tournament owner IMG did their best – the site improved greatly. But going up against the Olympics was tough, and the tourney had bad luck – for example, Serena lost in the first round in 2018. But last year there was an extraordinary draw. Seven of the world’s top 15 players were on hand, including Coco Gauff. Crowds were good, the energy was high. Russian Daria Kasatkina, who’d just announced she was gay and who’d come out against the Ukrainian war, won the title, in the tradition of a tournament that for six decades was often on the cutting edge.

But now the trailblazing event seems to be departing. If so, there won’t be a big tennis event west of Ohio during the key summer months. And all we’ll have is memories, and the hope that someday the Bay Area will again stage a truly elite event.


https://www.insidetennis.com/2023/04/fa ... y-classic/

[ponchi101]

A lot of tradition going out the window.

[ti-amie]

Ash Barty: ‘What I miss the most is the thrill of the fight’
Courtney Walsh

The former tennis No 1 on never having been busier since retiring, attempts to slow down with her first child on the way – and some worrisome form on the golf course

Thu 11 May 2023 07.43 BST

Fifteen months since deciding to step away from professional tennis, Ash Barty cuts a relaxed figure in the back yard of her Brisbane home as her beloved dogs play in the background and the former world No 1 contemplates the next chapter of her life. A recent dip in temperature in south-east Queensland has brought some relief to the expectant mother who, after a whirlwind year that has belied her expectations of retirement, will “shut up shop” after completing a final ambassadorial role on Monday.

The three-time grand slam champion, who is pregnant with her first child, has found the 15 months since she decided to step away from professional tennis both exciting and challenging. From publishing her autobiography My Dream Time to mentoring young players such as the rising star Olivia Gadecki, from competing in a golf exhibition in the United States to her coming role as the face of the Australian Made Week campaign, Barty has been busier than she could ever have imagined.

“There were periods where I felt like I had no idea what I was doing and then there were other periods where I felt like there weren’t enough hours in the day,” she says. “The book tour … was a big project that took a lot of time and took a lot of energy. We wanted to do it well, but emotionally and mentally, it probably sapped more out of me than I realised.

“But it was awesome. I think it was a really nice way to kind of have that line in the sand, to literally close the chapter and look to what’s next. Then a few months ago, our world and our future was tipped on its head [with the pregnancy]. It’s been challenging. But it’s also been unique and, probably, everything I could have asked for.”

The 27-year-old has travelled extensively across Australia and internationally since her retirement in March 2022, for endeavours related to her work and foundation, but also for pleasure. Highlights included her first visit to Uluru, where she coached kids in the shadows of the famous sandstone monolith, and cheering on compatriot Cam Smith at St Andrews in the 150th Open. She also headed to New Zealand on a honeymoon with husband Garry Kissick, but the couple of have “put the passport” and their “suitcases away” ahead of parenthood.

Something that has surprised Barty over the past year is the amount of tennis she has watched, which was never a habit when she was a world-beater on the tour. She is satisfying her competitive urges on the golf course but not being able to strategise with her former coach Craig Tyzzer is among the joys she is missing in retirement.

“Probably what I miss the most is the thrill of the fight with Tyzz, sitting down together and working out a way to completely unravel our opponent,” she says. “That’s what I loved the most, the tactical side of the game and being able to make your opponent feel very uncomfortable and do that with my skills and my weapons. I do miss spending time with … all of my team. But our relationship hasn’t changed. The contact is just not as frequent and not as high octane, I will say. But the team footy tipping account is still alive and well, so the banter is still flying.”

Barty has partnered with Tyzzer and Jason Stoltenberg, who also coached Lleyton Hewitt to win Wimbledon, to form a consultancy mentoring promising Australian players. They “have different methods and philosophies” but share the common goal of “wanting to turn good people into great athletes [with] a genuine chance to do something special”.

“I think as an athlete, you become quite self-absorbed and very selfish, though in a good way,” she says. “It’s been really nice to kind of take the blinkers off and look at things with a broader view. It’s been really nice over the last 12 months to do some work with them. It is a different skill. I was very lucky to have them as part of my journey. To be able to do it together with them now and pick their brain, I’m really enjoying it.”

The growing rivalry between the world’s top two women, Iga Swiatek and Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka, has caught her eye in the lead-in to Roland Garros. Swiatek and Barty bonded over their love of reading and the Polish champion caught up with her predecessor as the world No 1 while in Brisbane in January.

The plight of another close friend in Simona Halep, who has been provisionally suspended since October after recording a positive drug test, has also snared Barty’s attention. Halep, 31, recently pleaded with authorities to hasten a hearing into the circumstances surrounding the dual-major winner’s positive for Roxadustat at the US Open in September.

“I love Simo and I respect Simo. I’ve spoken to her a little bit over the last 12 months or so, just checking in to see how she is going. She is an exceptional person,” Barty says. “I really sincerely hope that she has an opportunity to have her say and to explain her side, because there are always two sides to every story. I think you’d be struggling to find anyone who wouldn’t want to see her back out there doing what she absolutely loves, which is competing on a big stage against the best in the world.”

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2023/ ... -the-fight

[ti-amie]

Women’s tour only has itself to blame for tennis’ equal pay furore
Damning details show the women’s tennis tour needs to look itself in the mirror with the sport’s biggest gamble blowing up in its face.

John Millman

Let’s be clear. Equal prizemoney between men and women in tennis can be put to bed. It won’t be happening. Principles and tennis equality have been thrown out the window thanks to some poor decision making by the WTA.

It’s a contentious issue, equal prizemoney. Tennis, by a country mile, is leading the way in what its female athletes get paid. In 2022, seven of the top ten highest paid females in both endorsements and prizemoney were tennis players. But should the sport just be satisfied comparing itself to other female athletes or should they be in the conversation with their male counterparts?

The WTA’s last win happened back in 2007 when they secured equal pay at Grand Slams, however, they have been treading water ever since.

Unfortunately for the women, Grand Slams occupy only eight weeks of the tennis calendar each year. Outside of the Slams prizemoney in the men’s and women’s game is not equal and the pay gap is widening.

How is this even possible? How can the tour outside of the slams carry on favouring the male players in what they earn? It’s a shocking look and that shouldn’t sit well with the consumer. That is until you dive a little deeper and start to understand how the business of professional tennis is run.

The professional tour operates with two separate corporations, WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) and ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals), looking after their players’ interests. Their models and strategies are independent of one another, and their revenue is quite different. The cries from leading female players like Iga Swiatek and Viktoria Azarenka are getting louder as they seek prizemoney equal to that of the men for the whole year.

In 2021, the ATP recorded a revenue of $USD 176.8 million for the year against the WTA’s $87.8 million. While the ATP were kicking goals, through sponsorships, licensing and their flagship World Tour Finals, the WTA have blundered with own goals.

With the lack of a long-term strategy and revenue stagnating, the WTA went looking for a quick fix by selling nearly a quarter of their tour’s schedule to China. Even in the best of times it is difficult to get people through the gates in China and it is a bad look playing to empty stadiums, but it was when Covid hit and the country closed its borders that we saw the consequences of being over leveraged in one place on a “global tour.”

The WTA’s lack of strategy once again came to the fore with their principled stand on the disappearance of Chinese player, Peng Shuai. Principles didn’t last very long and were soon cast aside as the WTA lifted their ban on the Chinese tournaments despite Shuai’s whereabouts still being unknown.

The ATP governing body continually outperforms its WTA counterpart. Where the ATP send their flagship season ending World Tour Finals to packed out stadiums in tennis loving cities like London and Milan, the WTA attempt to build their game to the empty stadiums of Shenzhen and Fort Worth.

The women have had equal pay in Grand Slam tennis for 25 years and it is time for them to receive equal pay right across the board. The WTA have had more than enough time to achieve that goal. Our female tennis players are some of the best athletes in the world and deserve to be paid equally but unfortunately, they are represented by an underperforming body.

Tennis can be the envy of all sports when it finally achieves true equality, but I feel for that to happen it needs to be under one umbrella and based on track record that is with the ATP. Until then equal pay is a pipe dream and won’t happen.

John Millman is an Aussie tennis veteran, with one ATP Tour title to his name and a victory over Roger Federer in the fourth round of the 2018 US Open.

https://www.news.com.au/sport/tennis/wo ... 2ba09c1359

[ponchi101]

The guys at ESPN L. America are saying that Halep has been hit with a further doping charge.
Not looking good for her.

[ti-amie]

The guys at ESPN L. America are saying that Halep has been hit with a further doping charge.
Not looking good for her.

This is the drug she tested positive for back in August.

Roxadustat
Medication
Roxadustat, sold under the brand name Evrenzo, is an anti-anemia medication. Roxadustat is a HIF prolyl-hydroxylase inhibitor that increases endogenous production of erythropoietin and stimulates production of hemoglobin and red blood cells.

Why did the FDA reject roxadustat?
Data at the FDA Advisory Committee meeting showed that roxadustat was clearly efficacious for treating anemia, but roxadustat had numerous safety signals including increased thromboses, seizures, major infections, and even higher mortality.

The new charge.

19 May 2023
Simona Halep receives additional Tennis Anti-Doping Charge

The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) confirms that Romanian tennis player Simona Halep has been charged with a further and separate breach of the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme (TADP), relating to irregularities in her Athlete Biological Passport (ABP). Ms Halep has been provisionally suspended since October 2022, as a result of testing positive for prohibited substance Roxadustat at the US Open in August of last year.

The ABP programme, developed by the World Anti-Doping Agency and incorporated into the TADP under the World Anti-Doping Code (WADC), is a method by which anti-doping organisations monitor various blood parameters over time, to identify potential Anti-Doping Rule Violations (ADRVs).

The additional charge of an Adverse Passport Finding was based on an assessment of Ms. Halep's ABP profile by an independent ABP Expert Panel. That charge is separate and in addition to the existing Roxadustat charge from August 2022 which triggered Ms. Halep’s original provisional suspension.

Nicole Sapstead, Senior Director for Anti-Doping at the ITIA, said: “We understand that today’s announcement adds complexity to an already high-profile situation. From the outset of this process – and indeed any other at the ITIA – we have remained committed to engaging with Ms. Halep in an empathetic, efficient, and timely manner.

“We do, of course, appreciate there is a great deal of media interest in these cases. It would be inappropriate for us to comment on specifics until the conclusion of the process, but we will continue to engage with the Sport Resolutions independent tribunal and Ms. Halep’s representatives as expeditiously as possible.”

The ITIA is the delegated third party, under the World Anti-Doping Code of the International Tennis Federation, the international governing body for the sport of tennis and signatory of the Code. The ITIA is responsible for the management and administration of anti-doping across professional tennis in accordance with the TADP.

Ends

Notes for editors

In accordance with the WADC, the ITIA operates the International Registered Testing Pool (IRTP), which subjects just under 300 tennis players to regular ABP testing as part of its in-competition and out-of-competition testing program. In general terms, the top 100 ranked singles players from both the ATP and WTA are mainstays of the IRTP. As one of the world’s highest-ranked players, Ms. Halep is included in the IRTP.

The statement for Ms. Halep’s first charge – which triggered her provisional suspension - can be read here:

ITIA - Simona Halep Provisional Suspension

More information on the Athlete Biological Passport can be found here:

Athlete Biological Passport | World Ant ... a-ama.org)

Published 19 May 2023 19:50

[ti-amie]

Very bad news for women's tennis. The drug is, in my non medical opinion, a way to blood dope without using Djokovic's not a hyperbaric machine.

Anomalies in her ABP just make it worse.

Now, unless somehow her mother cooked her favorite Romanian dish and somehow the mother's medication got mixed in the sauce her career is over.

Since they didn't take Sharapova's titles away from her after she admitted to doping for ten years despite all the rantings I'm seeing on that WTA fan site I don't see how they can take Halep's away.

[ti-amie]

Also Cahill had better be issuing a "I had no idea" statement in 5, 4, 3, 2...

[ti-amie]