Talk About Tennis 2.0 • Tournament & Tour Announcements

by ti-amie Since there is a schedule to work with it's time to open this here.

by dave g ti-amie,
Have you heard anything about the WTA plans for January and February?

Dave

by ti-amie Not a thing Dave. It's so frustrating.

by ti-amie Look what I found.

Oleg S. @AnnaK_4ever

Based on what we know from ATP and ITF schedules and WTA leaks, these are the tournaments to be held from 4 January through AO:

Men:
1 x ATP Cup
4 x ATP 250
3 x Challenger 125
2 x Challenger 100
5 x Challenger 80
22 x M15

Women:
3 x WTA 500
1 x WTA 250
2 x W60
5 x W25
19 x W15

by ti-amie Tennis Majors @Tennis_Majors
Breaking: The @BJKCup play-offs will move to April 16-17, from Feb 5-6 - to be played during the week of the 2021 Finals

by ti-amie WTA announces start of 2021 Tour season
The WTA has announced the schedule for the first seven weeks of the 2021 Tour calendar, which kicks off with the Abu Dhabi WTA Women’s Tennis Open.

By Press Release

via @WTA

The WTA has announced the schedule for the first seven weeks of the 2021 Tour calendar. The WTA has worked diligently with tournaments and players to provide as many job opportunities as possible while being mindful of increased travel restrictions and mandatory quarantine guidelines set forth by local governments.

by TalkAboutTennis

NEWS RELEASE
December 18, 2020

WTA ANNOUNCES START OF 2021 TOUR SEASON

ST PETERSBURG, FL, USA - The WTA has announced the schedule for the first seven weeks of the 2021 Tour calendar. The WTA has worked diligently with tournaments and players to provide as many job opportunities as possible while being mindful of increased travel restrictions and mandatory quarantine guidelines set forth by local governments.

The season will kick off at the Abu Dhabi WTA Women’s Tennis Open, a WTA 500 level event, from January 5-13 at Zayed Sports City International Tennis Centre. H.E Aref Al Awani, General Secretary of Abu Dhabi Sports Council, said, "We are delighted to welcome to Abu Dhabi WTA’s 2021 kick-off event, the Abu Dhabi WTA Women’s Tennis Open. Abu Dhabi is a global capital of world sport and the presence of top tennis players from around the world at this time only strengthens that position and reinforces our esteemed reputation."

The Australian Open qualifying will take place in Dubai from January 10-13, with both events then allowing for travel to Melbourne from one of Tennis Australia’s designated charter flight hubs of Dubai (in addition to Singapore and Los Angeles).

Upon conclusion of those events, players and their respective support teams will travel to Australia where they will complete the mandatory two-week quarantine. Following the quarantine period, two WTA 500 tournaments will be held concurrently in Melbourne Park from January 31 - February 7.

The 2021 Australian Open will then take place February 8-21 inclusive of singles, doubles and mixed doubles.

A WTA 250 will be held the second week of the Australian Open, allowing athletes to remain in Melbourne, securing three weeks of competition.

Steve Simon, WTA Chairman and CEO, said, "We are excited to announce the first swing of tournaments representing the opening weeks of the 2021 WTA season, all of which will operate in an environment that puts health and safety at the forefront. We want to express our sincere appreciation for the cooperation between key tennis stakeholders and organizations, along with the local health authorities who have been vital in getting us to this point. The hard work will continue as we look further ahead into 2021 to ensure a safe and robust calendar."

Due to travel restrictions and the mandatory quarantine, WTA 250 tournaments in Auckland and Shenzhen will not be held in 2021 but are scheduled to return to the WTA Tour calendar in 2022. The WTA continues to closely monitor the evolving status of tournaments for the remainder of 2021 with an announcement in the coming weeks surrounding a more expansive calendar.

Click https://www.wtatennis.com/news/1943551/ ... our-season for the 2021 WTA Tour
calendar (weeks 1-7).

About WTA:

Founded by Billie Jean King in 1973 on the principle of equal opportunity for women in sports, the WTA is the global leader in women’s professional sport with more than 1,650 players representing 84 nations competing for a record $180 million in prize money. In 2019, the WTA was watched by a record breaking global audience of 700 million. The 2020 WTA Tour includes 53 events and four Grand Slams, spanning across six continents and 28 countries and regions. The season culminates with the Shiseido WTA Finals Shenzhen, offering a $14 million total prize purse and honoring the season’s top singles and doubles players. Further information on the WTA can be found at wtatennis.com.

by ti-amie The ATP Website has posted a full year calendar. So far the WTA hasn't.

https://www.atptour.com/en/tournaments

by ti-amie

Caroline Wozniacki
@CaroWozniacki
·Dec 29
Question? Since the @wta will no longer have an app. Where do people check live scores and tournaments? Also maybe a schedule for 2021?

This is why that Lawler interview was so frustrating. Former players shouldn't have to take to Twitter to try and find out what is going on and why.

by ponchi101

ti-amie wrote: ↑Wed Dec 30, 2020 6:11 pm
Caroline Wozniacki
@CaroWozniacki
·Dec 29
Question? Since the @wta will no longer have an app. Where do people check live scores and tournaments? Also maybe a schedule for 2021?
This is why that Lawler interview was so frustrating. Former players shouldn't have to take to Twitter to try and find out what is going on and why.

If Wozniacki is lost, what can we expect of the average person?

by ti-amie The WTA has provided its provisional calendar through Wimbledon.
via @TennisNewsTPN

by ti-amie

by JazzNU

by ponchi101 What an amazing view. Would not mind losing in the first round just to explore that city.

by JazzNU

ponchi101 wrote: ↑Sat Feb 27, 2021 9:59 pm What an amazing view. Would not mind losing in the first round just to explore that city.

100% Agree. I've always wanted to visit Italy in general, and Rome and the Tuscany region specifically. But adding Cagliari/Sardinia to the list. It's beautiful.

by Suliso Hard to find a truly ugly town in Italy.

by ti-amie

by JazzNU

Wimbledon expecting reduced attendance for 2021 tournament

Associated Press

LONDON -- Wimbledon organizers are expecting to have a reduced number of spectators for this year's tournament because of coronavirus restrictions.

The All England Club said Thursday it was remaining "flexible" as it reacts to changing circumstances amid the pandemic as the British government follows a road map out of lockdown.

"We want to ensure that we can leave decisions on public capacity as late as we can in order to welcome the maximum number of guests," said the All England Club, which scrapped the tournament last year for the first time since World War II.

There will be a mandatory requirement for all players, their support teams and tennis officials to be in an official tournament hotel rather than in private houses, the club said.

"Although the promise of a return to a more normal existence is on the horizon, we are not there yet," All England Club chairman Ian Hewitt said.

There will no official ballot for tickets this year, with organizers instead providing an online platform for ticket sales sometime in June. Wimbledon is scheduled to run from June 28-July 11.

Because of the likelihood of continued social distancing requirements, there will not be a ticket resale operation. That means the absence of one of the defining sights of Wimbledon: the long line of people around the grounds of the All England Club.

https://www.espn.com/tennis/story/_/id/ ... tournament

by the Moz Fans in any number is most welcome

by JazzNU

by JazzNU This might be an April 1st joke, FYI. They announced dogs in place of ball boys in the past if memory serves.

Update, there are enough people thinking like I am that I'll edit this for the time being. I don't think this one is true.

by JazzNU

Rio Open canceled due to COVID-19 spike

RIO DE JANEIRO -- This year's Rio Open tennis tournament was canceled Thursday because of the spike in COVID-19 cases in Brazil, organizers said.

The ATP tournament had already been postponed from its original February dates, and organizers said the continued uncertainty around the pandemic meant it would not be rescheduled.

"We fought until the end to be able to play in 2021, but unfortunately it is not possible," said tournament director Luiz Carvalho.

The coronavirus has killed more than 320,000 people in the South American nation, with March its deadliest month since the pandemic began.

Organizers said next year's tournament would be played in February. The 2020 Rio Open champion was Chile's Cristian Garin.

https://www.espn.com/tennis/story/_/id/ ... d-19-spike

by JazzNU

Innsbruck, Turin, Madrid to co-host Davis Cup Finals beginning in November

MADRID -- The cities of Innsbruck in Austria and Turin in Italy will co-host the Davis Cup Finals along with the Spanish capital of Madrid this year, the International Tennis Federation said Monday.

Madrid was the sole host of the inaugural edition of the revamped event in 2019, and it was going to repeat as host by itself last year before the tournament was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The federation said Innsbruck and Turin were selected after submitting what organizers called "impressive bids that not only promise a world class experience for players and fans, but also include stringent measures to ensure the health and safety of all in attendance."

Each city will host two of the six groups in the international team event. Madrid will stage two groups as well as two quarterfinal series, the semifinals and the final. Innsbruck and Turin will get one quarterfinal each.

The competition will take place on hard courts from Nov. 25-Dec. 5.

"The three-venue, 11-day format will improve the schedule for players, enhance the experience for fans and bring the competition to a wider audience," David Cup Finals organizers said. "The three venues selected are of similar playing conditions with good transport links and a strong overall infrastructure."

Organizers said it was important to find two European cities "that were well connected to Madrid, with similar playing conditions, to provide a smooth transition for players traveling from other venues."

The location of the event in Madrid will change from the "Magic Box" tennis complex to the Madrid Arena. The venue in Innsbruck will be the Olympia-Halle and Turin will stage matches at the Alpitour Arena.

Each city will host the country's national team at the group stage.

Host Spain won the 2019 edition of the competition, which had its finals played in a single venue for the first time.

https://www.espn.com/tennis/story/_/id/ ... cup-finals

by JazzNU ^^ These dates are insane. Finals are already super late and now this? The offseason is becoming nonexistent and it wasn't much to write home about to begin with. Not sure if this is all coming down to the Aussie Open delay, but they've got to work on it.

by ti-amie

by ti-amie WTA ANNOUNCES NEXT PHASE OF 2021 TOUR CALENDAR
Latest calendar highlights the next nine weeks, which includes two WTA 1000 events, one WTA 500, six WTA 250 tournaments and an extended series of WTA 125 events.

By Press Release

ST PETERSBURG, FL, USA - The WTA has today released an extended 2021 WTA Tour calendar outlining the next phase of tournaments this season following Wimbledon through the US Open.

Having previously announced the first 27 weeks of the 2021 season, the latest calendar highlights the next nine weeks, which includes two WTA 1000 events, one WTA 500, six WTA 250 tournaments and an extended series of WTA 125 events.

The provisional calendar reflects changes from the previous season including:

Week 20 (May 17) –Anning, China moves to Belgrade, Serbia (2021 only)
Week 21 (May 24) – Strasbourg moves to week 21 with Roland Garros taking place in weeks 22-23
Week 23 (June 7) – Nottingham under discussion, update forthcoming
Week 28 (July 12) – WTA 250 tournament in Bucharest, Romania moves to Budapest, Hungary
Week 28 (July 12) – WTA 250 Prague moves from May to the summer and changes from clay to hardcourt
Week 29 (July 19) - Washington, DC moves to Gdynia, Poland and changes from hardcourt to red clay
Week 34 (August 23) - New WTA 250 hardcourt event in Cleveland, Ohio

The 2021 edition of tournaments in Cologne and ‘s-Hertogenbosch will unfortunately not operate this year but look forward to returning to the calendar in 2022.

In a strategic effort to provide more job opportunities and playing experience at the 125 level, the WTA has expanded the number of WTA 125 tournaments across the globe.

Within the 2021 season, the WTA anticipates over 15 WTA 125 events throughout North America, South America, Europe, and Asia with the goal of increasing the number of events at this level over the next several years to help ensure the continued growth of the WTA.

Steve Simon, WTA Chairman and CEO, stated, “We are excited to announce the next series of events on the 2021 Tour calendar, as this season has already proven to be outstanding with the level of tennis we have witnessed thus far. We are especially appreciative of the commitment in which all the tournaments and players have put forth in order to operate efficiently and safely during these challenging times.”

Simon added, “We are also very excited about our WTA 125 initiative as we look to grow the number of playing opportunities for our athletes to support their progression through the sport.”

As we continue to operate in a COVID-19 environment, the WTA remains committed to putting health and safety at the forefront by following the guidelines provided by healthcare professionals and local health authorities.

Further additions and updates to the WTA Tour calendar will be announced in due course, including the second edition of the Shiseido WTA Finals Shenzhen.

https://www.wtatennis.com/news/2105865/ ... r-calendar

by JazzNU ‘s-Hertogenbosch tournaments really got screwed by the French Open, huh?

by the Moz Obviously COVID driven, but brutal that RG gets to shuffle proceedings at their whim two years on the trot.

by ponchi101 But also, Wimbledon is not going to move their tournament for the benefit of others, so it is not only the FFT, there is a little bit of being a jerk from the part of the AELTC.

by the Moz

ponchi101 wrote: ↑Sun Apr 18, 2021 3:57 pm But also, Wimbledon is not going to move their tournament for the benefit of others, so it is not only the FFT, there is a little bit of being a jerk from the part of the AELTC.

In the time of COVID there will be two RG to one Wimbledon, so I'm okay with the All England Club's alleged jerkiness.

by JazzNU

ponchi101 wrote: ↑Sun Apr 18, 2021 3:57 pm But also, Wimbledon is not going to move their tournament for the benefit of others, so it is not only the FFT, there is a little bit of being a jerk from the part of the AELTC.

Can't believe I'm defending them since I'm not the biggest fan, but I think FFT remains the jerk and AELTC has their hands tied here. With the Olympics scheduled to kick off less than 2 weeks after the end of Wimbledon, had they pushed their tournament back a week to help the smaller grass tournaments, then that would've been the jerk move.

I'm sure it works differently depending on the country, but I'd imagine it is something along the lines of - by the Monday after Wimbledon ends, all Olympic-bound athletes need to return home countries immediately, and get ready to meet the rest of the national team later that week. And then wheels up early the following week, which is the same week that the Olympics begins.

If there's a second jerk GS here, it's the Aussie Open imo. Suffered no financial loss in 2020, and caused a monumental shift in 2021's schedule with their delay and is basically going to coast on getting any of the blame for the schedule crunch the rest of the 2021 season because it's already in the rearview mirror.

by ti-amie

The Tennis One app works just fine. I'm getting rid of the ATP app.

by JazzNU I use Tennis24 and Tennis One apps and really like them both.

by ti-amie

Here's the full image of Sloane.

by JazzNU That seems ambitious for Kim, I hope that means she is close to returning . Or maybe she'll be able to play an exhibition regardless of whether she's able to return to the tour?

And I'm glad Atlanta Open is at least trying. Their last tournament was embarrassing to watch.

by JazzNU

WTA adds two new 250 tournaments in Parma and Hamburg to 2021 calendar

The WTA has today announced two exciting additions to the 2021 calendar in the form of new WTA 250 tournaments to be held in Parma, Italy and Hamburg, Germany.

Scheduled for the week of May 17, the Emilia Romagna Open will be held in Parma in northern Italy and played on red clay. It will feature a 32-player singles main draw and a 16-team doubles draw, while an additional six players will be able to enter the singles main draw via a 24-player qualifying draw. The event in Parma is being organized in collaboration with MEF Tennis Events, who after many successful years running ATP Challenger events, are now working with the WTA for the first time.

The second addition to the calendar is also an outdoor red clay event, with the WTA Tour heading to Germany for the Hamburg European Open during the week of July 5, coinciding with the second week of The Championships, Wimbledon.

Hamburg previously held a WTA tournament in the 1980s through the early 2000s, and the 2021 edition will feature a 28-player singles main draw (16-player qualifying draw) and a 16-team doubles draw.

WTA Chairman and CEO Steve Simon commented, “The WTA is committed to offering as many playing and earning opportunities for our members as possible, and we look forward to bringing the WTA Tour to Parma and Hamburg this season, enhancing women’s tennis even more this year.”

https://www.wtatennis.com/news/2114065/ ... 1-calendar

by ti-amie

by JazzNU I didn't see it mentioned elsewhere but AELTC made announcements yesterday about Wimbledon. Among other things they announced they plan to have at least 25% capacity in the stands and the biggie, in a break with long standing tradition, Wimbledon will be played on the Middle Sunday this year and going forward.

https://www.wimbledon.com/en_GB/news/ar ... _2021.html

by ponchi101 More pummeling on Centre Court? With modern long rallies I wonder how much more wear can the back of the court take.
I wonder how they can replace the grass for the second week. Tiles? (like, a block of grass that can be put together in one day, and then have gardeners mow and trim. And I am sober...)

by JazzNU

ponchi101 wrote: ↑Thu Apr 29, 2021 12:02 am More pummeling on Centre Court? With modern long rallies I wonder how much more wear can the back of the court take.
I wonder how they can replace the grass for the second week. Tiles? (like, a block of grass that can be put together in one day, and then have gardeners mow and trim. And I am sober...)

Are you though?

From the announcement on their site:

What about the grass courts?

- Traditionally, Middle Sunday has provided a vital opportunity to water the courts, particularly Centre Court, which is the most heavily used.

- With thanks to improved grass court technology and maintenance over the past five years or so and other measures, we are now comfortable that the courts, most particularly Centre Court, can be maintained without a full day of rest.

- Across the 14 days, we will be maximising all windows to provide additional water to the courts to keep the grass plant in good condition, in particular on Centre Court, and we will also take minimising wear into account in our scheduling decisions.

- The steaming process that we have introduced has seen better wear tolerance in the grass plant and will be something we continue to invest in.

- Ultimately, grass remains a living, natural surface which is susceptible to fluctuations in weather and temperature, and so the measures we need to take will adapt accordingly to best maintain the courts.

by ti-amie Tennis Canada issues a statement on the status of the 2021 National Bank Open presented by Rogers
MAY 12, 2021

WRITTEN BY Tennis Canada

Three months away from the 2021 edition of the National Bank Open presented by Rogers, Tennis Canada would like to provide an update regarding the status of the tournaments. The WTA 1000 event is scheduled to take place in Montreal, August 7-15, while the ATP Tour Masters 1000 event is scheduled to take place in Toronto, August 7-15.

Tennis Canada has held productive dialogue with all levels of government in Canada, as well as the ATP and WTA Tours, regarding their health guidelines. We will implement strict protocols for all involved in our tournaments to ensure everyone’s safety. At this point, our priority is to host the 2021 National Bank Open presented by Rogers in Toronto and Montreal in August, and we are hopeful the improving vaccination situation in Canada will bode well for our tournaments.

That being said, as the National Bank Open has historically accounted for 90% of the revenue Tennis Canada successfully invests in the development of the sport each year, it is critical that we host our 2021 tournaments. Therefore, our team is doing its due diligence to ensure all options are being considered to give us the best possible chance of staging successful events this year, including the possibility of finding an alternative site to host our tournaments in the United States, should we exhaust our options in Canada.

“We remain confident there are still multiple options for our tournaments to be held in Montreal and Toronto this August, such as in broadcast-only or limited-fan models, both of which have already been planned for in detail,” stated Eugène Lapierre, Tournament Director of the Montreal National Bank Open. “We continue to keep our key corporate partners, including National Bank and Rogers Communications, updated regarding the various scenarios and they remain supportive. Tennis Canada has also held preliminary conversations with the USTA to discuss what options might be available as an alternative in the United States. However, it is important to understand this would be considered only after we have exhausted our options in Canada.”

“We are hopeful the improving vaccination situation in Canada is a positive sign for this year’s National Bank Open presented by Rogers events, and as such we continue to focus and work on hosting our tournaments in Toronto and Montreal in August,” stated Gavin Ziv, Managing Director of the Toronto National Bank Open. “We must remain patient and flexible as a final decision regarding the National Bank Open will not be made until a date closer to the tournaments. We continue to plan for all scenarios with the health and safety of players, fans, staff and the general public being our top priority.”

https://nationalbankopen.com/news/tenni ... _campaign=

by Deuce

ti-amie wrote: ↑Wed May 12, 2021 6:53 pm Tennis Canada issues a statement on the status of the 2021 National Bank Open presented by Rogers
MAY 12, 2021

WRITTEN BY Tennis Canada

As is often the case, all of that writing can be summed up by saying "We don't know what will happen with the tournament."

by ti-amie I did think it was interesting they're looking at sites in the US but otherwise you're right.

by ti-amie

by Deuce

ti-amie wrote: ↑Mon May 17, 2021 7:21 pm

HEY MEGAN! ^ Go for it!

by the Moz So they are finally replacing the computer algorithm my mate and I have dubbed 'Betsy'

by meganfernandez

Deuce wrote:
ti-amie wrote: ↑Mon May 17, 2021 7:21 pm
HEY MEGAN! ^ Go for it!

thanks! They probably have a former intern lined up.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

by Deuce

meganfernandez wrote: ↑Thu May 20, 2021 3:24 am
Deuce wrote:
ti-amie wrote: ↑Mon May 17, 2021 7:21 pm
HEY MEGAN! ^ Go for it!
thanks! They probably have a former intern lined up.

Maybe not.
They are asking for applications - so if you're interested, apply. From what I know of you, you have relevant skills and qualifications.
You never know until you try...

by meganfernandez

Deuce wrote:
meganfernandez wrote: ↑Thu May 20, 2021 3:24 am
Deuce wrote: HEY MEGAN! ^ Go for it!
thanks! They probably have a former intern lined up.
Maybe not.
They are asking for applications - so if you're interested, apply. From what I know of you, you have relevant skills and qualifications.
You never know until you try...

Will let you know.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

by ponchi101 And if they ask for references, don't hesitate to ask for ours. I'll endorse you in the simplest way:
"Megan knows tennis".
And then add: "She knows more than 75% of all the commentators on TV".

by JazzNU Indian Wells is back as a joint ATP/WTA 1000 tournament in October 2021. Exact dates coming soon.

by Suliso That's unexpected...

by the Moz Happily unexpected

by meganfernandez

ponchi101 wrote:And if they ask for references, don't hesitate to ask for ours. I'll endorse you in the simplest way:
"Megan knows tennis".
And then add: "She knows more than 75% of all the commentators on TV".

That’s my ace in the hole

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

by JazzNU

by JazzNU Additional calendar changes announced by ATP - pulled from the article found here - https://www.atptour.com/en/news/atp-ann ... dates-2021

- Elsewhere, the Stockholm Open, originally scheduled to run in Week 42 alongside the VTB Kremlin Cup (Moscow) and European Open (Antwerp), will now take place from 7-13 November in the same week as the Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan

- In other tournament news, the ATP 250 New York Open has this week announced its relocation to Dallas, Texas, from 2022.

by JazzNU Full prize money at Indian Wells according to Haas. So we can go ahead and write in Shapo's appearance in permanent marker.

by ti-amie

JazzNU wrote: ↑Sat May 22, 2021 7:11 pm Full prize money at Indian Wells according to Haas. So we can go ahead and write in Shapo's appearance in permanent marker.

by Deuce Given how the tournaments have not been paying enough of late according to him (even though the money is still obscene by, say, a teacher's pay standard, sigh), I believe his plan is to supplement his income by embarking on a part time rapping career.
I assume, then, that he'll soon realize that tennis actually pays quite well, even when the prize money is not full.

by JazzNU He'll be lucky if 1000 non-tennis fans subscribe to his SoundCloud. Assuming he used an actual studio to record his "album" he won't recoup the cost of production based on tennis fans. His tennis career is the only reason anyone is bothering to listen to 10 seconds of his music. Gotta stop giving this nonsense legs like he's the next coming of musical talent when I could throw a rock on a random city street corner and hit more talent than this.

by Suliso

JazzNU wrote: ↑Sun May 23, 2021 3:54 am He'll be lucky if 1000 non-tennis fans subscribe to his SoundCloud. Assuming he used an actual studio to record his "album" he won't recoup the cost of production based on tennis fans. His tennis career is the only reason anyone is bothering to listen to 10 seconds of his music. Gotta stop giving this nonsense legs like he's the next coming of musical talent when I could throw a rock on a random city street corner and hit more talent than this.

Indeed, it's a bit similar to some on WTA thinking they could be models and then discovering that it was all based on them being tennis players after all.

by ponchi101 But the thing is that some of the WTA players COULD be models...

(Hantuchova, Sharapova, Kirilenko, Caro and a few more)
I am taking your words (everybody's) as an assessment of his musical talent, as there is no way I will even do the search in YT.

by Suliso Some of those you mentioned are very good looking, but there are others even more "perfect" if athletic ability not required anymore.

by Deuce It's much healthier to be admired for something like one's tennis ability than it is to be admired for one's mere physical looks. Tennis ability requires talent, commitment and hard work; taking a 'pretty picture' requires only a good photographer, and/or good lighting technician and/or good make-up artist - and has little to nothing to do with the person being photographed.
Tennis ability is based on substance, and physical looks is based on superficiality.
Of the two, I'd much rather be recognized for my tennis ability (or any other talent which requires commitment, dedication, and effort) than for mere looks. Leave the 'PLEASE LOOK AT ME AND TELL ME I'M PRETTY' stuff for the Kardashians, etc., and other insecure people who possess no other viable talent.

I also feel, after studying plenty of psychology and sociology, that the desperate seeking of attention and validation through 'social media' - number of 'likes', 'followers', 'views', etc. - is very unhealthy psychologically. It's an illusion - there is little to no substance to it, and it produces more insecurity. I'm far from the only one with this perspective.

As for Dennis and his rapping... I feel that he, too, should prefer to be admired for his tennis ability than for his rapping which, as others have mentioned, would certainly not get the attention of anyone outside of his family if he were not a top tennis player. And even the attention of his family would likely not be very positive.

by ponchi101 Go ahead. Put on some high heels and a Victoria Secret's lingerie set and try to walk down a runway. See how easy that is!!!!
(Joking

)

by JazzNU US Open to use Hawk-Eye line-calling technology on all tennis courts for first time

D'Arcy Maine

The US Open will use Hawk-Eye Live electronic line-calling on all competition courts during this year's tournament for the first time, the USTA said in a statement on Monday.

Seven of the nine US Open Series events leading into the year's final major, including the Western & Southern Open and the National Bank Open, will also fully use the technology this summer.

The USTA used electronic line-calling for the Western & Southern Open and US Open on all courts except Arthur Ashe and Louis Armstrong Stadiums in 2020 when both events were played at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. According to the USTA, Hawk-Eye Live made around 314,000 calls during the two tournaments.

James Japhet, the managing director of Hawk-Eye North America, told The New York Times in September that just 14 of the 225,000 calls made during the first week of the 2020 US Open were erroneous -- and those were the result of human error by operators in the control room.

The 2021 Australian Open was the first major to be played entirely without line judges. Player reaction was mostly positive throughout the tournament, but there were a handful of instances in which it appeared during replays the technology got it wrong.

https://www.espn.com/tennis/story/_/id/ ... urts-first

by the Moz

JazzNU wrote: ↑Tue May 25, 2021 6:12 pm US Open to use Hawk-Eye line-calling technology on all tennis courts for first time

D'Arcy Maine

The US Open will use Hawk-Eye Live electronic line-calling on all competition courts during this year's tournament for the first time, the USTA said in a statement on Monday.

Seven of the nine US Open Series events leading into the year's final major, including the Western & Southern Open and the National Bank Open, will also fully use the technology this summer.

The USTA used electronic line-calling for the Western & Southern Open and US Open on all courts except Arthur Ashe and Louis Armstrong Stadiums in 2020 when both events were played at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. According to the USTA, Hawk-Eye Live made around 314,000 calls during the two tournaments.

James Japhet, the managing director of Hawk-Eye North America, told The New York Times in September that just 14 of the 225,000 calls made during the first week of the 2020 US Open were erroneous -- and those were the result of human error by operators in the control room.

The 2021 Australian Open was the first major to be played entirely without line judges. Player reaction was mostly positive throughout the tournament, but there were a handful of instances in which it appeared during replays the technology got it wrong.

https://www.espn.com/tennis/story/_/id/ ... urts-first

Damn.

by meganfernandez

the Moz wrote:
JazzNU wrote: ↑Tue May 25, 2021 6:12 pm US Open to use Hawk-Eye line-calling technology on all tennis courts for first time

D'Arcy Maine

The US Open will use Hawk-Eye Live electronic line-calling on all competition courts during this year's tournament for the first time, the USTA said in a statement on Monday.

Seven of the nine US Open Series events leading into the year's final major, including the Western & Southern Open and the National Bank Open, will also fully use the technology this summer.

The USTA used electronic line-calling for the Western & Southern Open and US Open on all courts except Arthur Ashe and Louis Armstrong Stadiums in 2020 when both events were played at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. According to the USTA, Hawk-Eye Live made around 314,000 calls during the two tournaments.

James Japhet, the managing director of Hawk-Eye North America, told The New York Times in September that just 14 of the 225,000 calls made during the first week of the 2020 US Open were erroneous -- and those were the result of human error by operators in the control room.

The 2021 Australian Open was the first major to be played entirely without line judges. Player reaction was mostly positive throughout the tournament, but there were a handful of instances in which it appeared during replays the technology got it wrong.

https://www.espn.com/tennis/story/_/id/ ... urts-first
Damn.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

by JazzNU

the Moz wrote: ↑Tue May 25, 2021 11:48 pm Damn.

Not that the US Open doesn't tend to be more open to technology anyway (first grand slam to use Hawk-Eye, then first GS to have it on every court), but I'm gonna go out on a limb and say a certain someone's camp has been lobbying hard for approximately 8.5 months to go in this direction.

by the Moz

JazzNU wrote: ↑Wed May 26, 2021 3:30 am
the Moz wrote: ↑Tue May 25, 2021 11:48 pm Damn.
Not that the US Open doesn't tend to be more open to technology anyway (first grand slam to use Hawk-Eye, then first GS to have it on every court), but I'm gonna go out on a limb and say a certain someone's camp has been lobbying hard for approximately 8.5 months to go in this direction.

Yep. For sure

by JazzNU

by ti-amie

JazzNU wrote: ↑Fri Jun 04, 2021 8:11 pm

I thought everything in Switzerland was good re the virus?

by JazzNU Shocked me too. When I first saw it I thought maybe it was being sacrificed for Indian Wells, but reading that statement it's clear that's not it, they made the decision they couldn't successfully stage it the way they want.

by Suliso I'm guessing they think they'll not be allowed to stage it with a full house and can't be profitable without.

by JazzNU

ATP Issues 2021 Q4 Calendar Updates

The ATP has announced further updates to the 2021 ATP Tour Q4 calendar, including dates for the BNP Paribas Open, the ATP Masters 1000 in Indian Wells, California.

The ATP edition of the 2021 BNP Paribas Open is scheduled to take place as an eight-day event in Week 41, from 10-17 October, following postponement from its original dates in March due to COVID-19. The men’s event will feature a 56 Main Draw Singles, 28 Main Draw Doubles, and 28 Singles Qualifying draw.

In addition, the Rolex Shanghai Masters, an ATP Masters 1000 event, maintains its intention to stage this season, with the possibility of taking place in Week 40 (to be confirmed).

Elsewhere, the China Open (Beijing) and Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships (Tokyo), both ATP 500 events scheduled in Week 40, have confirmed their cancelation in 2021 due to restrictions related to COVID-19. Also confirmed, the Grand Prix Hassan II (Marrakech) will not take place in 2021, having announced postponement from its April dates earlier in the year.

The ATP continues to monitor the impact of COVID-19 in assessing the provisional Q4 calendar in order to ensure optimised player flow and provide as many playing opportunities as possible. Further updates to the calendar will be communicated in due course.

The updated 2021 ATP Tour calendar can be viewed here.

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/atp-iss ... -july-2021

by Suliso Hard to see Shanghai being held if Beijing could not.

by JazzNU

Suliso wrote: ↑Thu Jul 01, 2021 5:55 pm Hard to see Shanghai being held if Beijing could not.

There are other Chinese tournaments on the schedule that also aren't cancelled. So far Beijing appears to be the outlier. Obviously may change, but it could be that Beijing's province isn't allowing events such as this and others are. The other tournaments I've seen on the schedule are 250 level.

In contrast, as far as I can tell, no WTA events are set to return in China or even Asia yet outside of the WTA Finals in Shenzhen, which appear to be a go right now.

In general, so hard to tell what's going on in China.

by JazzNU I think this is the first I've seen for a tennis tournament, I thought there would be many more. Indian Wells started selling tickets and proof of vaccinations are required for entry.

by JazzNU WTA Chicago Women’s Open has been added to the 2021 calendar, a new WTA 250 tournament in Chicago scheduled the week of August 23.

https://www.wtatennis.com/news/2182462/ ... dar-update

by Suliso

JazzNU wrote: ↑Fri Jul 09, 2021 7:18 pm
Suliso wrote: ↑Thu Jul 01, 2021 5:55 pm Hard to see Shanghai being held if Beijing could not.
There are other Chinese tournaments on the schedule that also aren't cancelled. So far Beijing appears to be the outlier. Obviously may change, but it could be that Beijing's province isn't allowing events such as this and others are. The other tournaments I've seen on the schedule are 250 level.

That's possible, but I would guess more likely that they're just waiting longer and hoping on change of strategy on the part of Chinese government.

by JazzNU Roger is never one to miss out on a business opportunity, so this is not surprising.

by JazzNU

by the Moz Not so sure about the 'Lamer' Cup, but I like the world of Canada & Argentina

by ponchi101 It has been a fun exo, but the question will come back very soon. What will be the Laver cup once Roger is not playing in it? Will it be sustainable?

by JazzNU

ponchi101 wrote: ↑Thu Jul 22, 2021 2:55 pm It has been a fun exo, but the question will come back very soon. What will be the Laver cup once Roger is not playing in it? Will it be sustainable?

Why wouldn't it be sustainable? Exhibitions have been around in tennis for a long time and attract top talent because they pay much more than the typical tournament. It's not like they just started with Federer, so why would it end with him retiring? This particular exhibition has TV contracts, they are actually paying the players low given what they are taking in, so even more money to offer if they wanted or needed to attract players so I see no reason it can't go as long as they want.

by dmforever

JazzNU wrote: ↑Thu Jul 22, 2021 5:25 pm
ponchi101 wrote: ↑Thu Jul 22, 2021 2:55 pm It has been a fun exo, but the question will come back very soon. What will be the Laver cup once Roger is not playing in it? Will it be sustainable?
Why wouldn't it be sustainable? Exhibitions have been around in tennis for a long time and attract top talent because they pay much more than the typical tournament. It's not like they just started with Federer, so why would it end with him retiring? This particular exhibition has TV contracts, they are actually paying the players low given what they are taking in, so even more money to offer if they wanted or needed to attract players so I see no reason it can't go as long as they want.

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but most exhibitions haven't been televised, right? Maybe this is why Ponchi suspects the LC might not last much past Federer. If people are tuning in mainly because of Fed, his retirement might affect viewership, which may affect sponsorship, which may affect revenue, which may affect how much they offer the players, yadda yadda yadda. But you may be right JazzNU. And when Roger does retire, maybe he'll still play limited events like this where his ranking doesn't matter and he can commit to limited time on court.

In any case, we shall see.

Kevin

by JazzNU Federer doesn't play every match, so how could people be tuning in just for him? It's his thing for sure, but I think we're attaching too much to Roger here in terms of what occurs in this exhibition. There are like 10 matches played in this exo and he plays in like 3 of them. It's not as if the others get no viewers and have no appeal on their own.

Exhibitions that mirror the Laver Cup tend to have TV contracts. Things did exist before him and were successful, the player just wasn't the owner/organizer as well, so maybe that's why you're attaching so much value to just him.

You guys do realize this is supposed to be like the Ryder Cup, right? Laver Cup isn't going anywhere.

by Suliso Tournaments sometimes don't survive the change in local circumstances. You might remember the highly lucrative Grand Slam Cup held in Munich in the 90-ties. It folded with Becker's retirement and the general loss of enthusiasm about tennis in Germany.

by JazzNU Also, since you guys are attaching so much value to Roger here in terms playing, I should add that you should have more faith in his business acumen. He's exceptionally skilled where his business interests are concerned. He didn't come up with this idea for it to die with him. He was indeed trying to create the Ryder Cup for tennis and succeeded. Him and Tony plan on this being an institution in the sport and you should have every faith that they've got all their ducks in a row to make that happen.

I realize there are bigger Roger fans on this forum, but I am probably the biggest fan of his business acumen. Don't doubt it. He knows what he's doing.

by atlpam Also the rotation of sites where it's held allows them to follow the biggest stars that are being featured if they choose.

by ponchi101 My doubts come from the fact that it is a EUROPE Vs Rest of the world. Tennis right now has the ATP cup, the new Davis Cup and the Laver Cup. We did talk about this maybe being overkill.
Laver Cup with Rafa and Roger playing is very different than Laver Cup, starring Shapo, Felix, Daniil and Matteo. Sure, it can be moved around, but there is no real nationalistic value to it (which is, for example, the ATP's and Davis' cup calling card).

by JazzNU

ponchi101 wrote: ↑Thu Jul 22, 2021 7:45 pm My doubts come from the fact that it is a EUROPE Vs Rest of the world. Tennis right now has the ATP cup, the new Davis Cup and the Laver Cup. We did talk about this maybe being overkill.
Laver Cup with Rafa and Roger playing is very different than Laver Cup, starring Shapo, Felix, Daniil and Matteo. Sure, it can be moved around, but there is no real nationalistic value to it (which is, for example, the ATP's and Davis' cup calling card).

The matchups at Laver Cup are head and shoulders above the other two on a consistent basis, no need to watch the 250th ranked players from Greece and Austria because Tsitsipas and Thiem got their countries qualified. If the power base in tennis shifts, then the X vs. Y can shift similar to Ryder Cup. And I'm sure they'll figure out a way to comfort themselves with something other than nationalism.

by Deuce

JazzNU wrote: ↑Thu Jul 22, 2021 10:08 pm The matchups at Laver Cup are head and shoulders above the other two on a consistent basis, no need to watch the 250th ranked players from Greece and Austria because Tsitsipas and Thiem got their countries qualified. If the power base in tennis shifts, then the X vs. Y can shift similar to Ryder Cup. And I'm sure they'll figure out a way to comfort themselves with something other than nationalism.

^ I completely disagree. I'd much rather watch a Davis Cup / Fed Cup match with the 250th ranked player who, with genuine pride, is trying his/her absolute best for the country in spite of enormous odds against him/her than watch a bunch of rich guys get richer by playing completely meaningless matches (at least some of whose results are very likely pre-decided) at the Laver Cup.

That said, the powers that be are trying rather desperately to ruin Davis Cup - and are sadly succeeding.

by TAT2.0 PRESS RELEASE

4 August 2021
TOKYO 2020 OLYMPIC TENNIS EVENT - BY THE NUMBERS

The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Tennis Event finished on Sunday 1 August after nine days of thrilling action at the Ariake Tennis Park. While these Games were like none that came before them, they still offered athletes from across the world the chance to represent their nations and compete for Olympic glory.

The event culminated with five exciting gold medal matches, with the champions in all five tennis events winning their first Olympic gold medals. Tennis returns to Tokyo in just over three weeks’ time, with the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Wheelchair Tennis Event – which will see 104 players compete across men’s, women’s and quad wheelchair events – running from Friday 27 August to Saturday 4 September.

The competition has been enjoyed by sports fans around the world, with millions tuning in on TV and following online. Since mid-July, ITF social media accounts have provided comprehensive coverage of tennis at the Olympics, resulting in 137million impressions and 6.5million engagements.

ITF President David Haggerty said: “We were delighted to see the world’s best tennis players represent their nations in search of Olympic glory. Once again, the players have shown how much competing for an Olympic medal means to them and I would like to congratulate all the athletes who won medals in Tokyo.

“I would like to pay tribute to all the staff and volunteers who worked so hard to make to make the Olympic Tennis Event a success, as well as the Tokyo 2020 organising committee (TOCOG), the government of Japan and the IOC. We are already looking forward to Paralympic Wheelchair Tennis Event in Tokyo later this month.”

We take a look at some of the key numbers and statistics from the event:

1 – Swiss woman to win Olympic gold in history following Belinda Bencic’s victory at Tokyo 2020

2 – former Youth Olympic Games medallists who won medals at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Tennis Event, with Karen Khachanov and Andrey Rublev becoming the first tennis players to win medals at the Youth Olympics and the Olympics

2 – gold medal matches contested by teams from the same nation, with an all-Croatian men’s doubles final and all-ROC mixed doubles final

3 – medals won by ROC, the most of any nation at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Tennis Event

3 – nations to win medals at the Olympic Tennis Event for the first time: Brazil, New Zealand and Ukraine

4 – tennis players who carried their nation’s flag at the Opening Ceremony: Veronica Cepede Royg, Petra Kvitova, Yen-Hsun Lu and Jelena Ostapenko

4 – match points saved by Laura Pigossi and Luisa Stefani in the match tiebreak in the women’s doubles bronze medal match before defeating Veronika Kudermetova and Elena Vesnina to win Brazil’s first-ever medal in tennis at the Olympics

5 – nations to win gold medals at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Tennis Event: Croatia, Czech Republic, Germany, ROC and Switzerland

10 – nations to win medals at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Tennis Event overall

13 – nations to contest medal matches at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Tennis Event

29 – players who reached medal matches at Tokyo 2020, with Belinda Bencic, Novak Djokovic and Elena Vesnina reaching two medal matches each

30 – nations which have won Olympic medals in tennis since the sport returned to returned to the Games as a full medal sport at Seoul 1988

33 – years since Germany had won a gold medal in singles, with Alexander Zverev becoming the first German player to win Olympic singles gold since Steffi Graf at Seoul 1988

45 – nations who competed at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Tennis Event

190 – players who competed at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Tennis Event

203 – minutes that Marin Cilic’s and Joao Menezes’ men’s singles first round match lasted, the longest match at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Tennis Event

208 – matches that were played at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Tennis Event

by ti-amie

by Suliso My own crystal ball predicted this one few months ago. There will be no Chinese tournaments on either tour till late 2022 at the earliest.

by ti-amie

by ti-amie I'm putting this here because I don't know how to classify the Laver Cup. If you guys feel it deserves it's own thread I'll move it.

by ti-amie The WTA will have two new $125k tournaments in South America this November.

November 1 Dow Tennis Classic

Argentina Open
Buenos Aires, Argentina
$125,000 – Clay – 32S/16Q/16D
Singles Draw – Doubles Draw

November 15 Uruguay Open

Montevideo, Uruguay
$125,000 – Clay – 32S/16Q/16D
Singles Draw – Doubles Draw

by JazzNU Looks like these weren't posted anywhere. Team World a little heavy on the MAGA, looking forward to Seb and Frances rising enough to take their places.

by skatingfan It feels like this is a more even competition between World & Europe than in previous editions, though still an advantage to Europe.

by the Moz Team Europe please.

by ponchi101 I still give Europe the lead, but it does look more competitive.

by JazzNU I don't think it looks any more competitive. I expect it to be less competitive than last time, which was the closest it's been. Dropping Roger, Rafa, and Novak's names loses cachet, but I don't see this as more competitive.

by ti-amie

by ti-amie WTA Luxembourg Open Axed Over Disagreements Between Tour And Organisers
One of Europe’s most well known indoor women’s events has come to an end with the tournament director criticising the management of the WTA.
Published 1 day ago on 19/09/2021By Adam Addicott

Just minutes after Clara Tauson defeated Jelena Ostapenko 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, to win the Luxembourg Open, organisers put out a social media post confirming the WTA 250 event will be scrapped.

In an unexpected move the tournament director has accused the WTA of making organisers of her event feel ‘uncomfortable’ with their rules that has prevented them from running the event how they would have liked to. Danielle Maas has revealled to newspaper Tageblatt that their decision to permanently end the tournament was made before the start of this year’s draw. Ending what has been a 25-year stint as a WTA event which has been won by players such as Kim Clijsters, Victoria Azarenka, Venus Williams and Caroline Woniacki.

“We will no longer organize a WTA tournament. That’s a big change. But we no longer feel comfortable working with the WTA. The quality of the tournament as we imagine it, the family aspect and everything around it is no longer given. That’s why we made the decision to quit WTA after 25 years. We are happy to close this chapter, which gave us no more joy,” said Maas.

According to Maas, the breakdown in their partnership with the WTA is linked to rules which limits their goal of being a tournament which stands for ‘family values, closeness to the players and a good atmosphere.’ It is claimed that a Gala last Sunday, marking the 25th anniversary of the tournament, wasn’t attended by any representative from the governing body of women’s tennis and players were banned from going. It is unclear as to why the players weren’t allowed to attend.

“It took a lot of nerve to organize this week the way the WTA wanted. Working together was very difficult. The rules of the WTA and their approach have changed a lot since 2019,” Maas commented.
“This (the Gala) shows that there was no longer any great enthusiasm from her side (the WTA) to continue working with us.”
“The WTA chapter now closes. For us, however, it does not close with one laughing and one crying eye, but only with one laughing eye. We’ll close this door, but we’ll open a new one next year.”

Organizers are now planning to stage an exhibition-style event next year which will likely take place in October. Details about how this will work with the WTA Tour also taking place at the same time are unclear. However, it has been confirmed that a partner of the Luxemberg Open, global marketing and entertainment company OCTAGON INC, has agreed to continue their collaboration for another two years.

In the final of this year’s Luxembourg Open, Tauson became the seventh player this season to win multiple titles on the women’s Tour after also previously triumphing in Chicago. She is one of four players born in 2002 that are currently ranked in the world’s top 100. As a result of her latest win, she is set to rise to a ranking high of 52nd on Monday.

There has been no public comment from the WTA in response to Maas’ comments.

https://www.ubitennis.net/2021/09/wta-l ... rganisers/

by ti-amie A fan calling themselves "coolfish 1103" made this point re what could be behind the tournament's decision:

WTA moving Luxembourg to the lone September from 2020 (it wasn't held) also made no sense. There are no European events behind it to back it up. WTA is essentially trying to kill Luxembourg. If it weren't COVID, Luxembourg probably wouldn't have a representable field this week cause most players will be heading for Asia. The 2021 schedule kind of reminds us the pre-road map tour schedule (except only one event this week in Ostrava), where the events are most located in the same place and the season is not cut in short (8 weeks in between USO and Finals with a balanced schedule rather than 6-7 with 3 events in many weeks).

2008
USO
Bali
Tokyo/Guangzhou
Beijing/Seoul
Stuttgart/Tokyo/Tashkent
Moscow
Zurich
Linz/Luxembourg
Quebec
Doha

2010
USO
Guangzhou/Quebec
Seoul/Tashkent
Tokyo
Beijing
Linz/Osaka
Moscow/Luxembourg
Doha

2019
USO
Zhengzhou/Hiroshima/Nanchang
Osaka/Guangzhou/Seoul
Wuhan/Tashkent
Beijing
Linz/Tianjin (Hong Kong was scheduled but cancelled)
Moscow/Luxembourg
Zhuhai
Shenzhen

2021
USO
Luxembourg/Portoroz
Ostrava
Chicago/Astana
Indian Wells
Indian Wells (Linz originally scheduled here)
Moscow/Tenerife
Courmayeur/Cluj-Napoca
Fed Cup
Guadalajara/Linz

by JazzNU Since there's no thread for it, I'm putting this here.

ATP has been updating the Next Gen qualifiers the same way they have been with the ATP Finals.

1. Sinner
2. Auger-Aliassime
3. Alcaraz
4. Korda
5. Brooksby
6. Musetti
7. Empty (JM Cerundolo right now)
8. Empty (Nakashima right now)

Spots #5 and #6 were secured this week.

by ponchi101 Sinner is certainly not playing this one. Even if he does not qualify for the big YEC.

by JazzNU

ponchi101 wrote: ↑Mon Oct 25, 2021 2:00 am Sinner is certainly not playing this one. Even if he does not qualify for the big YEC.

I'm curious. Why do you think that?

by ponchi101 I know he qualifies as Next Gen, but he has won it before, and he is past that. It is a nice exo for newcomers, and he is no longer at that level.

by JazzNU

ponchi101 wrote: ↑Mon Oct 25, 2021 1:56 pm I know he qualifies as Next Gen, but he has won it before, and he is past that. It is a nice exo for newcomers, and he is no longer at that level.

Gotcha. Are you thinking FAA won't participate either?

I could see Sinner participating based on the location if he misses out on the ATP Finals (but think he's in so we won't find out).

by ponchi101

JazzNU wrote: ↑Tue Oct 26, 2021 2:48 pm
ponchi101 wrote: ↑Mon Oct 25, 2021 1:56 pm I know he qualifies as Next Gen, but he has won it before, and he is past that. It is a nice exo for newcomers, and he is no longer at that level.
Gotcha. Are you thinking FAA won't participate either?

...

Didn't think about it but yes, there is really nothing there for him. They are sort of in the same boat.

by JazzNU

by dmforever So either he's vaxxed or will be soon.

Kevin

by Deuce Or...
There are other possibilities, as well - some of which are unethical (making some sort of back room deal), some of which are even illegal (faking proof of vaccination)...

Many 'anti-vaxxers' have proven to go to desperate measures.
Only one person (and possibly his father) knows what his plans really are.

by ponchi101 Or he is testing the Aussie government at a smaller venue.

by JazzNU

ponchi101 wrote: ↑Tue Dec 07, 2021 4:12 pm Or he is testing the Aussie government at a smaller venue.

Wondered the same thing. But that'll be seriously messed up on many levels, so let's hope not.

by ti-amie

by ti-amie
Translation via Google
Yannick Noah on Guy Forget: "My friend just got kicked out of the tennis family."

by Deuce

ti-amie wrote: ↑Tue Dec 07, 2021 7:40 pm

Is IMG buying those two tournaments, too?

by ponchi101 Any reason why the tone in Noah's post is so different? One thing is "he quit", another is "he got kicked out of the tennis family".

by JazzNU

ponchi101 wrote: ↑Tue Dec 07, 2021 9:15 pm Any reason why the tone in Noah's post is so different? One thing is "he quit", another is "he got kicked out of the tennis family".

Not positive, but it appears that Forget's contract is ending and I'm going to take a guess that it wasn't renewed. FFT is going to frame that as him stepping down as he served out his contract. But since Guy likely wasn't offered a contract renewal, he (or at least Yannick) views it as being effectively fired.

by ponchi101 Ok. But it is not as if France is without possible good candidates for that job. Maybe they want to rotate it.
The sole ex-player that you know you cannot give this job to is Laconte, because if he runs the show the way he played it will be insane. Other than that, plenty of capable people there.
They can't produce champions, but it is not as if France is not invested in tennis.

by ti-amie

Did anyone of us see this coming? Did anyone?

by dryrunguy I did not seeing coming. But when I saw the news this morning, my response was, "Well, DUH!" It makes all sorts of sense.

by ponchi101 She is only the most successful french tennis player of the last... 80 years?
Yeah, I like this. Hope she does a great job.

by Owendonovan If you can't win it, run it!

by ti-amie Don't forget it was Guy Forget who, as TD totally botched the Osaka situation.

by Deuce

ti-amie wrote: ↑Fri Dec 10, 2021 1:10 am Don't forget it was Guy Forget who, as TD totally botched the Osaka situation.

I think it was mostly Osaka herself who messed up the Osaka situation.
She made a statement, which put her in a particular position, seemingly without doing any research with regards to what the response might be. Then, of course, she was completely unprepared for the response(s) which came, so she left.

by JazzNU First 6 Months of the ATP 2021-2022 Calendar. Putting this here for reference for @Ti and anyone that needs easy access to it since the ATP site isn't making it as easy to view as it should be. Right click the image and open it in a new tab and you'll be able to zoom and see what it actually says.

by meganfernandez

Deuce wrote: ↑Fri Dec 10, 2021 2:05 am
ti-amie wrote: ↑Fri Dec 10, 2021 1:10 am Don't forget it was Guy Forget who, as TD totally botched the Osaka situation.
I think it was mostly Osaka herself who messed up the Osaka situation.
She made a statement, which put her in a particular position, seemingly without doing any research with regards to what the response might be. Then, of course, she was completely unprepared for the response(s) which came, so she left.

Osaka started it and misstepped for sure. Personally, I give her some grace for that, especially given her state of mind at the time. We all screw up. The TD/ITF/etc could have handled it differently and more gently, and I think the popular opinion was that they were the adults in the room and should have acted like such. But it's likely that we don't know everything they did and said to her/her team before issuing the statement that many consider incendiary and unnecessarily harsh. I think people assume their only response was the statement that she could be DQ'd if she kept skipping press conferences. I interpreted the statement as "Look, kid, we don't have time for this s---." And I thought "good for them, that's my initial reaction, too." They also had a responsibility to inform the public what the situation was. But it really wasn't the best way to handle it, and cooler heads should have prevailed. I just didn't have as much ire for the tournaments/ITF as most people did because A.) I was mostly on the media's side of the whole thing; B.) I figured I didn't have all the information on their conversations; and C.) my big contention is infantilizing women, and the way everyone jumps to her defense has the whiff of infantilization to me. Like she needs protection. And I don't think she does. I think she handles herself very well.

It was an awful situation all around, except in that it sparked a needed conversation.

I was with a group of USTA staff last night - I'm new to the board of our local section - and they wondered if Osaka will every play again. I think she will. Do you?

Anyway, yay Amelie! Love this.

by ponchi101 Osaka will play again. I don't think she is signed up for the Aussie tournaments as a token, and as quiet and easy going as she is, I do believe in her love for the game.

by Deuce

meganfernandez wrote: ↑Fri Dec 10, 2021 2:27 pm
Deuce wrote: ↑Fri Dec 10, 2021 2:05 am
ti-amie wrote: ↑Fri Dec 10, 2021 1:10 am Don't forget it was Guy Forget who, as TD totally botched the Osaka situation.
I think it was mostly Osaka herself who messed up the Osaka situation.
She made a statement, which put her in a particular position, seemingly without doing any research with regards to what the response might be. Then, of course, she was completely unprepared for the response(s) which came, so she left.
Osaka started it and misstepped for sure. Personally, I give her some grace for that, especially given her state of mind at the time. We all screw up. The TD/ITF/etc could have handled it differently and more gently, and I think the popular opinion was that they were the adults in the room and should have acted like such. But it's likely that we don't know everything they did and said to her/her team before issuing the statement that many consider incendiary and unnecessarily harsh. I think people assume their only response was the statement that she could be DQ'd if she kept skipping press conferences. I interpreted the statement as "Look, kid, we don't have time for this s---." And I thought "good for them, that's my initial reaction, too." They also had a responsibility to inform the public what the situation was. But it really wasn't the best way to handle it, and cooler heads should have prevailed. I just didn't have as much ire for the tournaments/ITF as most people did because A.) I was mostly on the media's side of the whole thing; B.) I figured I didn't have all the information on their conversations; and C.) my big contention is infantilizing women, and the way everyone jumps to her defense has the whiff of infantilization to me. Like she needs protection. And I don't think she does. I think she handles herself very well.

It was an awful situation all around, except in that it sparked a needed conversation.

I was with a group of USTA staff last night - I'm new to the board of our local section - and they wondered if Osaka will every play again. I think she will. Do you?

Anyway, yay Amelie! Love this.

Fair enough.

As for Osaka's future... I, too, am wondering about it.
I see her view of pro tennis as being similar in a way to Kyrgios's view. Of course, the way that they each react to it is very different - but I think that both of them absolutely love the game of tennis, but don't at all like all of the stuff that is part of the pro game - the spotlight, the pressure, the media, the officials, etc.
If they weren't so good at tennis, they'd be able to enjoy the game more, because they'd be playing it at a lower level, where there is less outside pressure, less spotlight, less (or no) media, etc.

Kyrgios has managed to make a lot of money while playing a limited schedule at a fraction of his potential. He's not a kid anymore (though his comportment would have people believe otherwise), and I think he'll probably retire within 2 years.
It would not surprise me if Osaka plays a limited number of tournaments in 2022, and then retires. It's all dependent upon whether she can overcome the negatives that pro tennis brings to her life. And that itself may depend upon what kind of advice and help she gets to help her. At a certain point, she may simply feel that pro tennis is really more of a negative than a positive in her life, and that it doesn't look like that will be changing anytime soon - so, might as well eliminate a negative from her life.

by Owendonovan If I'm 24, worth $50+ million and have experienced my profession with and without the attention, money, obligations, expectations and how they've affected me both positively and negatively, physically and mentally, I might choose a new path in life. Why sweat the stuff that you don't really enjoy? Maybe being a hitting partner could satisfy the need for some high level tennis if needed? 24 is young to be set for life financially. I don't know Naomi's ambitions, double digit GS wins don't seem to be an easy feat these days on the women's side.

by ponchi101 The thing is, as I said before, it seems to me she really enjoys tennis. Sure, when you lose, it is hard, but in the last match she lost (Leylah @ the Open), you could see she never gave up. She has a competitive spirit that I believe only comes from an enjoyment of the sport.
Of course, I also hope she stays because it would be a huge loss for tennis, if she leaves.

by meganfernandez

ponchi101 wrote: ↑Sat Dec 11, 2021 3:13 am The thing is, as I said before, it seems to me she really enjoys tennis. Sure, when you lose, it is hard, but in the last match she lost (Leylah @ the Open), you could see she never gave up. She has a competitive spirit that I believe only comes from an enjoyment of the sport.
Of course, I also hope she stays because it would be a huge loss for tennis, if she leaves.

I think Osaka loves playing tennis, too. She posted training videos recently (noting that she never does that). She's training for the Australian. I don't think she would have had so much success already if she didn't truly love it.

Apart from that, it would be very hard to walk away from tennis if you're in her shoes - it's your identity, your parents put everything into helping you succeed, so many people (her teams) count on her and want her to do well. Of course they would understand if she truly didn't want to do it anymore, but accepting that could be very tough for a sensitive soul like her (a compliment).

by ti-amie

by JazzNU

by skatingfan It's like they're trying to rub it in Novak's face.

by ponchi101 Nobody even knows if Roger is going to be able to play. This is... a bit premature?

by Deuce Nadal hasn't been the healthiest player lately, either - it wouldn't exactly be surprising if he's out for months again at some point this year.

This is nothing but an attempt to sell tickets to people who know that 'Federer' and 'Nadal' are famous players, but who don't follow tennis enough to have any clue as to their current physical conditions.

by atlpam My first thought to this announcement was "Swan Song".

by JazzNU

by ti-amie

Joint Statement by the International Governing Bodies of Tennis

The international governing bodies of tennis stand united in condemnation of Russia’s actions

A deep sense of distress, shock and sadness has been felt across the entire tennis community following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in the past week. Our thoughts are with the people of Ukraine, and we commend the many tennis players who have spoken out and taken action against this unacceptable act of aggression. We echo their calls for the violence to end and peace to return.

The safety of the tennis community is our most immediate collective priority. The focus of the WTA and ATP in particular in recent days has been on contacting current and former players, and other members of the tennis community from Ukraine and neighbouring countries, to check on their safety and offer any assistance.

The international governing bodies of tennis stand united in our condemnation of Russia’s actions and, as a result, are in agreement with the following decisions and actions:

The WTA and ATP Boards have made the decision to suspend the WTA / ATP combined event, scheduled this October in Moscow.
The ITF Board has made the decision to suspend the Russian Tennis Federation and Belarus Tennis Federation membership and to withdraw their entries from all ITF international team competition until further notice. This action follows the cancellation of all ITF tournaments in Russia and Belarus indefinitely.

At this time, players from Russia and Belarus will continue to be allowed to compete in international tennis events on Tour and at the Grand Slams. However, they will not compete under the name or flag of Russia or Belarus until further notice.

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/joint-s ... march-2022

by ashkor87 Deciding set tiebreaker now at all majors..ten point version.welcome move

by meganfernandez

ashkor87 wrote: ↑Thu Mar 17, 2022 7:13 am Deciding set tiebreaker now at all majors..ten point version.welcome move

We discussed this in Tennis Random, Random... I like it, too, although honestly I don't care what they do. Only 3% of matches go to a final-set tiebreak.

by ponchi101

meganfernandez wrote: ↑Thu Mar 17, 2022 7:39 pm
ashkor87 wrote: ↑Thu Mar 17, 2022 7:13 am Deciding set tiebreaker now at all majors..ten point version.welcome move
We discussed this in Tennis Random, Random... I like it, too, although honestly I don't care what they do. Only 3% of matches go to a final-set tiebreak.

You looked up the stat, or are you joking? That would be interesting to know.

by meganfernandez

ponchi101 wrote: ↑Fri Mar 18, 2022 1:51 am
meganfernandez wrote: ↑Thu Mar 17, 2022 7:39 pm
ashkor87 wrote: ↑Thu Mar 17, 2022 7:13 am Deciding set tiebreaker now at all majors..ten point version.welcome move
We discussed this in Tennis Random, Random... I like it, too, although honestly I don't care what they do. Only 3% of matches go to a final-set tiebreak.
You looked up the stat, or are you joking? That would be interesting to know.

It's real. There was a discussion on Twitter. I calculated the % at the AO this year, and someone else had the numbers from the 2021 Slams combined. It was the same.

by ponchi101 Thanks. That is very interesting. I gather it brings attention because almost by definition, if you get to a fifth set TB, it has been a great match.

by meganfernandez Welllllll....

Not necessarily the whole match - it could have been servebots, sloppy and aggravating missed opportunities, one-dimensional tennis. But in the TB, the stakes are high and it's usually exciting to see who will narrowly win and narrowly lose. Example - Anderson vs Vesely last year at the US Open. I had to cover it. Nearly put me to sleep, but the fifth-set breaker was great fun. There was urgency and they (at least Anderson) played like it.

ponchi101 wrote: ↑Fri Mar 18, 2022 2:30 pm Thanks. That is very interesting. I gather it brings attention because almost by definition, if you get to a fifth set TB, it has been a great match.

by ponchi101 I did say almost

. Anderson/Isner at W was torture, Isner/Mahut must have been a long sentence in hell

by meganfernandez

ponchi101 wrote:I did say almost . Anderson/Isner at W was torture, Isner/Mahut must have been a long sentence in hell

Anderson/Isner certainly springs to mind. But I think there are only a few that are really good. Most are average. Just longer.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

by ti-amie

by Deuce So... Sky is counting on Emma (or another Brit) doing well at the U.S. Open for years to come.
Hmm...
Ok, then - good luck with that...

by ponchi101 Impossible to be a tennis fan in the USA and catch any important matches.
Gee, I never thought I would be thankful that I have Clerc...

by ashkor87 One option would be to declare Wimbledon an exhibition event this year..no points etc...boycott would be going too far...but ATP and WTA need to show they are relevant..

by ponchi101 Wimbl-exo-n?

by Deuce .

Wimble-DUMB...

Wimble-DONE.

by ashkor87 I hear the WTA at least is meeting soon to contemplate such an action...good for them

by ashkor87 There is some speculation that W's biggest concern is- how will it look to have Princess Kate hand out the trophy to Medvedev? I would think there is a simple answer to that- have Prince Charles do it, noone lies him anyway...or why not Prince Andrew?

by meganfernandez

ashkor87 wrote:There is some speculation that W's biggest concern is- how will it look to have Princess Kate hand out the trophy to Medvedev? I would think there is a simple answer to that- have Prince Charles do it, noone lies him anyway...or why not Prince Andrew?

Yeah surely that isn’t the obstacle. So easy to avoid. You’re literally the ruler - just don’t do it.

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by meganfernandez

ashkor87 wrote:One option would be to declare Wimbledon an exhibition event this year..no points etc...boycott would be going too far...but ATP and WTA need to show they are relevant..

This is going too far. Punishes all the other players who do well, which is exactly the opposite of the goal - don’t punish players for things they can’t control. Just let any banned players keep their points.

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by ashkor87 True ..but can tournaments be allowed to make up rules as they like? They have commitments too..

by ponchi101 Not Wimbledon. Let's not forget that in the end, it is a club. The most important tournament in the world is run by a club. The ATP, WTA, ITF or even the LTA have no say in what they do.
The sole people that could do something would be the players through, as you said, a boycott. "Keep politics out of this and let the Russians and Belarusians play, or nobody does". It would be the 1973 scenario, with the difference that Wimbledon is even bigger now and they can't hold a tournament with replacement players. Other than that, shut up, eat your lousy strawberries and cream and watch us do as we please.

by Deuce I agree. In an unjust circumstance like this, it's time for the other players to show some principles and courage and say 'If they don't play, we don't play.'
And if players don't play, there is no tournament.

It's fine for players to come out in public and say that it's not fair to ban Russian and Belarusian players... but that's just TALK. If they truly believe that it's unfair, they need to stand up and DO something about it; they need to show their belief through action.

by JazzNU

WTA releases updated 2022 tournament calendar

ST PETERSBURG, Fla. -- The WTA on Monday announced an updated tournament calendar for the 2022 season, outlining a fall schedule that includes a combination of established WTA tournaments and new events for 2022.

“The 2022 WTA fall calendar will provide a robust amount of job opportunities for players in a regional calendar flow that will take us through to the end of the season. I am extremely grateful to all of our tournament organizers for their support of women’s tennis and their commitment to staging world class Hologic WTA Tour events,” said Steve Simon, WTA Chairman & CEO.

Updates to the 2022 Hologic WTA Tour calendar include:

Week 30 (July 25) – WTA 250 BNP Paribas Poland Open relocates from Gdynia to Warsaw, Poland

Week 37 (September 12) – WTA 250 Japan Women’s Open in Osaka, Japan

Week 38 (September 19) – WTA 500 Toray PPO Tennis in Tokyo, Japan and WTA 250 Hana Bank Korea Open in Seoul, South Korea

Week 39 (September 26) – WTA 250 Tallinn Open in Tallinn, Estonia

Week 40 (October 3) – WTA 500 J&T Banka Ostrava Open in Ostrava, Czech Republic and WTA 250 Jasmin Open Tunisia in Monastir, Tunisia

Week 41 (October 10) – WTA 500 San Diego Open in San Diego, California and WTA 250 Transylvania Open in Cluj-Napoca, Romania

Week 42 (October 17) – WTA 1000 Guadalajara Open Akron in Guadalajara, Mexico

The fall schedule will also include 12 WTA 125 events throughout Europe and North and South America, bringing the total number of 125 events to at least 24 this season.

Further updates to this calendar are expected and will be provided in due course, including the location of the WTA Finals, set to take place the week of Oct. 31.

https://www.wtatennis.com/news/2619965/ ... t-calendar

by ti-amie I never understood the WTA decision to downgrade Tokyo. Japan is a big tennis country.

by ponchi101 They downgraded to a 500? I can't recall if it was a 1,000 before.
Plus, it is not as if Japan lacks resources. Or as if they don't have a super star nowadays.

by ti-amie

ponchi101 wrote: ↑Mon May 16, 2022 8:59 pm They downgraded to a 500? I can't recall if it was a 1,000 before.
Plus, it is not as if Japan lacks resources. Or as if they don't have a super star nowadays.

I think it was but I could be wrong. I think it was downgraded when Allaster was all in on China.

by JazzNU Yes, Tokyo was once a higher level premier tournament, either Premier 5 or Premiere M. I would guess the change in level for it was about sponsorships and what level prize money they were willing to support, not about general support in Japan or from the tennis federation there. They aren't usually the ones fronting the prize money and costs to host the tournaments.

I'm thrilled that Guadalajara is getting the chance to host a 1000 tournament. They did a great job with the WTA Finals, which to me, was by far the best energy and engagement we've had at the WTA Finals in many years.

by ti-amie

JazzNU wrote: ↑Mon May 16, 2022 10:28 pm Yes, Tokyo was once a higher level premier tournament, either Premier 5 or Premiere M. I would guess the change in level for it was about sponsorships and what level prize money they were willing to support, not about general support in Japan or from the tennis federation there. They aren't usually the ones fronting the prize money and costs to host the tournaments.

I'm thrilled that Guadalajara is getting the chance to host a 1000 tournament. They did a great job with the WTA Finals, which to me, was by far the best energy and engagement we've had at the WTA Finals in many years.

So am I.

by ponchi101 All the participants said it was run as a great tournament. Garbie was super pleased with it (of course, she won, so partiality can be explained).

by meganfernandez

ponchi101 wrote: ↑Mon May 16, 2022 10:56 pm All the participants said it was run as a great tournament. Garbie was super pleased with it (of course, she won, so partiality can be explained).

Yes, and the crowd was great. I wonder where they will hold the finals. Seems like it would be near there, maybe back in California? Is it warm enough?

by JazzNU

ponchi101 wrote: ↑Mon May 16, 2022 10:56 pm All the participants said it was run as a great tournament. Garbie was super pleased with it (of course, she won, so partiality can be explained).

She was thrilled with it before she won. And was just genuinely excited about a tournament of importance being hosted in Latin America. And got more excited about it the more time she spent there because it was so well run and the city was very welcoming to the players too.

The people calling into question having a tournament there (Barty's coach being the loudest) looked very, very silly once the tournament began and it was great.

by JazzNU

meganfernandez wrote: ↑Mon May 16, 2022 11:06 pm he crowd was great. I wonder where they will hold the finals. Seems like it would be near there, maybe back in California? Is it warm enough?

Yes, it's warm enough in many parts of California if they are looking to hold it outdoors. But there aren't many signs or rumors about where this year's WTA Finals might be held (other than not in China).

by patrick Earlier this year, there was a rumor that the WTA finals will be held in Europe; therefore, the WTA 1000 to Guadalajara

by ti-amie ATP, WTA suspend 2022 Kremlin Cup following Russia's invasion of Ukraine
Mar 2, 2022
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The Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) and the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) have suspended the 2022 Kremlin Cup following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, it was announced on Tuesday.

The Kremlin Cup was Russia's first international pro tennis tournament when it was founded in 1990, with this year's event set to take place in Moscow in October.

"A deep sense of distress, shock and sadness has been felt across the entire tennis community following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in the past week," a joint statement said.

"The international governing bodies of tennis stand united in our condemnation of Russia's actions,"

"The WTA and ATP Boards have made the decision to suspend the WTA / ATP combined event, scheduled this October in Moscow."

The International Tennis Federation (ITF) also announced the immediate suspension of the Russian Tennis Federation and Belarus Tennis Federation from its membership and from participation in international team competitions until further notice.

However, Russian and Belarusian tennis players will still be allowed to compete in international Tour events and the Grand Slams, but without national flags.

"The ITF Board has made the decision to suspend the Russian Tennis Federation and Belarus Tennis Federation membership and to withdraw their entries from all ITF international team competition until further notice," the statement added.

"This action follows the cancellation of all ITF tournaments in Russia and Belarus indefinitely. "

"At this time, players from Russia and Belarus will continue to be allowed to compete in international tennis events on Tour and at the Grand Slams. However, they will not compete under the name or flag of Russia or Belarus until further notice."

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https://www.espn.com/tennis/story/_/id/ ... on-ukraine

by ponchi101 Which I am sure the ATP would have had questions about suspending it were it not for the WTA showing spine.
After all, they are playing China despite of the Peng Shuai event.

by ashkor87 I wonder if Djokovic and others will play in the London Invitational (formerly known as Wimbledon)?!!

by meganfernandez

by JazzNU

meganfernandez wrote: ↑Thu May 26, 2022 4:13 pm

This is great, long overdue. Guess they didn't want a repeat of the embarrassment from last year.

by meganfernandez

JazzNU wrote: ↑Thu May 26, 2022 5:28 pm
meganfernandez wrote: ↑Thu May 26, 2022 4:13 pm
This is great, long overdue. Guess they didn't want a repeat of the embarrassment from last year.

What happened last year?

by JazzNU

meganfernandez wrote: ↑Thu May 26, 2022 5:36 pm
What happened last year?

This photo got shared intending to show the Australian history of Evonne and Ash winning 50 years apart. But it resulted instead in "are they seriously using women's married names to refer to them and is that why I can't find Chris Evert's name on this list?" At one point it was talked about more than the title, if memory serves there was a point where both Chris Evert and Mrs. JM Lloyd were trending on Twitter and that's really what got picked up and aggregated to a wider audience. Wimbledon's antiquated rules were on full display in all the wrong ways.

by ti-amie

by meganfernandez

ti-amie wrote:

He just wants to say he beat all 3 of them.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

by ponchi101

meganfernandez wrote: ↑Wed Jun 08, 2022 11:40 pm ...
He just wants to say he beat all 3 of them.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

by ti-amie

by ti-amie HOT TOPICS ATP Chief Andrea Gaudenzi On Strategic Plan, Wimbledon, Events In China And More
In a wide ranging press conference the head of men’s tennis spoke extensively about a wide range of topics. Including his claim that Russian and Belarussian players were willing to sign a document condemning the Ukraine war in order to play at Wimbledon.

Published 16 hours ago on 10/06/2022By Staff

The president of the ATP, Andrea Gaudenzi, held a video conference with the Italian press on Thursday concerning the presentation of the calendar reform. Madrid and Rome are expected to upgrade to 96 player draws over two weeks from 2023. The same pattern will be extended from 2025 to the Canada Open and Cincinnati… Here is the transcript of the press conference.

Gaudenzi: “I wish to express my satisfaction for achieving an important milestone which is the promotion of this calendar reform plan. Upon our arrival, two and a half years ago, we went through a series of serious issues: the fires in Australia, Covid, the war in Ukraine and more… We have been committed to making tennis survive in general. The fact that we have managed to pass such an ambitious plan makes us proud. We hope that this can be the first step towards a great future. But after two and a half years of negotiations and struggle, we perhaps deserve a pat on the back. I particularly like the upgrade of the Masters 1000 in Rome, as an Italian”.

Ubaldo Scanagatta, Ubitennis: “Will any tournament disappear?”

“No. There is a reorganization. Looking at the calendar you can see that there are two weeks that impact the 2025 calendar; The ATP 250 are moved. The idea is to enhance the Masters 1000 so as to reduce the gap that exists with the Slams, which of course is still very large. What everyone wants to see are the strongest players in the most important events. We want to give viewers a continuous story, from the beginning of the year to the end. We want to strengthen a model that already works, the one of Indian Wells and Miami, which have had this format for almost thirty years”.

Paolo Rossi, Repubblica: “Which was the greatest obstacle”?

“One could write a book about it. When we talk about general principles, we all agree, difficulties arise when we go into detail. There is a bit of fear on everyone’s side. And it was not easy to make compromises. All parties have compromised to focus on the long-term goal of enhancing our sport by putting selfishness and retaliation aside. Above all, there is a total lack of trust between players and tournaments. I believe it is partly justified because we are talking about a partnership in which players have never had the opportunity to access the economic accounts of the tournaments and are paid with prize money without knowing whether it is fair or not. This has always led to crazy quarrels. So the most difficult thing was removing individual egoisms, which are understandable, because it is an individual sport, and every player and every tournament thinks of itself; but there must be someone who thinks of the collective good, that is sport. It is difficult to find someone who does this and who has the trust and delegations from everyone.”

Riccardo Crivelli, La Gazzetta dello Sport: “Have you asked for guarantees for the enlargement of Rome? Have you seen plans for the roof? And then: has the idea of a Master 1000 on grass before Wimbledon been ruled out?”

AG: “Indian Wells is the only tournament that has had category protection for 50 years in 2003. And it was also the tournament that invested the most; it would be difficult to ask a tournament to invest millions if it could still be downgraded the following year. Hence a theme of accountability from standards point of view. There will be a committee made up of a representative of the players, a representative of the tournaments, and a third independent representative who will define – considering the unique peculiarities of each tournament, the reason why you cannot ask Monte Carlo to add four courts – standards aimed at raising the level, with larger stadiums, covered, more space for media and players. This is the direction.

Ubaldo Scanagatta: “ATP points at Wimbledon. Is the decision taken definitive? The risk is that a false ranking will come out and without great value after Wimbledon… Maybe a compromise solution would have been better, is it still being studied?”

AG: “The reason why we removed the points at Wimbledon is known; it is a matter of fairness and discrimination in response to a unilateral decision of the tournament that we do not consider right. Such a decision should have been taken collectively involving all seven components of tennis. This story proves once more that we need a unique governance in tennis. Having said this, we would be very happy to return the points to Wimbledon if the ban on Russians and Belarusians, who have said they are willing to make written statements because none of them is in favour of war were lifted. From a ranking point of view, we want to have a ranking in 2022 where each player had access to the same number of points. This is the only way to have a fair ranking at the end of the year. If we gave protection to those who played well at Wimbledon in 2021 it would be even more unfair to those who play well in 2022, because the points would still expire after 52 weeks as always happens. We can’t protect seven or eight players by creating even more damage to everyone else. Unfortunately, Wimbledon points will be missing in the year-end ranking, but from our point of view it is the fairest choice and WTA agrees with us.”

Vincenzo Martucci, Supertennis: “In the calendar system there are two critical issues: the overcrowded red clay season between the tournaments before Roland Garros with Madrid and Rome killing each other and then the one concerning Bercy, which has lost much of its significance”.

AG: “Madrid and Roma will become 96-draw tournaments over four weeks. Winning back-to-back Madrid and Roma today means winning ten matches in twelve days, an incredible and risky effort in terms of injuries. The 96-player draws instead allow for a longer rest. It is true there is an extra match, but there is a better scheduling and the players’ engagement is managed better. The other tournaments will be rearranged around these two events. In the future, keeping in mind the limit of 16 500 ATP events, we will try to join a couple of ATP 250. Even these tournaments would be glad if there were fewer tournaments of this category. We would also like to schedule 125 Challengers in the second week of the Masters 1000 for those player who lose in the first rounds. As for Monte Carlo and Bercy, the long-term idea is to have nine combined Masters 1000. They are two tournaments that have some problems in terms of infrastructure, but the idea is to make them grow too. As for Bercy, it is natural that at the end of the year the players will come to terms with fatigue and injuries, especially those who have already qualified for the Finals”.

Ubaldo Scanagatta: “Will there be tournaments in China this year? Doesn’t the WTA decision to cancel events from China create problems?

AG: “The first most important topic concerning tournaments in China is Covid. As for the WTA, the choice was made in relation to the case of Peng Shuai, and we took a different stance on this. However, there is probably a need to reorganize the calendar to find alternative solutions, as we did in the last two years. A miracle is required, because it is not easy to change dates when deadlines are so tight. We are trying to push the Chinese government to make a decision, and then we will make a decision.”

Piero Guerrini, Tuttosport: “When do you imagine a single governance in tennis? And about Turin, what do you expect in terms of growth this season?”

AG: “I hoped to close the matter in a year and a half, but there is an impressive number of details which need sorting out. There will certainly be a progressive solution, while in the meantime we have already started to collaborate in some details such as format, competition, rules, etc. … The unification of the tie-break format of the final set is also a result of this convergence. We will not go at a supersonic speed, despite being highly motivated to do so. You have to decide on the voting system, establish a starting point, etc… It is difficult to set timelines, even if it’s hard to imagine less than a couple of years. We hope to succeed, although it is not obvious that this process will be finalized. The first edition in Turin for me was extraordinary, also considering that we were still in the middle of COVID, which involved several ticket selling uncertainties. Then we hope to have an Italian at the Finals, who would certainly boost ticket sales.”

Riccardo Crivelli, Gazzetta dello Sport: “I saw that in the 2023 calendar the NextGen Finals will follow the ATP Finals. This year will be the last Italian edition. I was wondering if the call has been reopened and also if the scheduling after the Finals is not a bit demeaning for this event. Do you have any other plans for this event?”

AG: “The call has not yet been launched; we are still in reflection mode for NextGen. Since the event does not award points, it is not a big problem for the calendar, and scheduling the event in December could be interesting, since it is a fairly empty month and probably the young players still have a lot of energy and desire to play. We are considering various options, including merging it with a similar event for the WTA, because it would be nice to see the promises of the future all together. There is also the hypothesis of greater integration with the ATP Finals, although the logistical issue is not easy to solve, because it would imply having many matches in one day. We really like the NextGen format, they’re churning out the results of the future, and it’s a great format that allows to test innovative solutions.”

Ubaldo Scanagatta, Ubitennis: “Is some progress being made to unite the Davis Cup and the ATP Cup, perhaps returning to the old Davis Cup 3 sets out of 5 that had a different spirit and I think brought greater benefits to the tennis image? And then, a question that concerns journalists: it is not very clear what the ATP would like from journalists in the relationship with players. In Barcelona the mixed zone was in an area journalists could not access; in Acapulco there was a situation where first you could ask questions via Zoom and then they disappeared; in Indian Wells they all complained about how the mixed zone was organized, so I would like to know if you have also taken into account what Billie Jean King said at Roland Garros according to which it is also in the interest of players to have a human relationship with journalists, at least with those who live the tournaments the most, because if we continue to separate journalists and players, we are not helping tennis and tennis players “.

AG: “With regard to Davis Cup/ATP Cup, we have an agreement with Tennis Australia also for 2023, but we are having talks. I think I’ve always been honest enough to say that having two events like Davis cup and ATP Cup so close is not good for our sport. If Davis cup were to disappear it would not be good news for tennis, in consideration of the value of its history and for what it has meant. It is necessary to find a solution, and this is another proof that these decisions should all be made together, also because if confusion is created, the public usually tends to move away. With regard to the other issue, this is not a subject I am very familiar with, because I have been dealing with other things. However, I have always been a promoter of the importance of the media and the importance of communicating with our fans, especially about things that happen off-court. 50% of the focus is on non-live, as the Formula 1 documentary [“Drive to Survive”] has also shown, which has aroused great attention, and you are a little bit the “enablers” of this story. It must be said that COVID has really created a great revolution in the way we work, and this theme should be reviewed and discussed, especially by also talking to players, because they are the first to have a say. We will review the matter and give you an answer.”

Vincenzo Martucci, SuperTennis: “Me too I’d like to reiterate Ubaldo’s question about the relationship between players and journalists. But my questions are different: first of all, I would like to know exactly what this relationship with the WTA means, and when will we see the real effects at a journalistic level? Compared to you, the WTA is in a prehistoric situation: they deal exclusively with American journalists, and some English. All Europeans, Spanish-speaking ones, Italians, perhaps with the only exception of L’Equipe, are almost ghettoized, despite the fact that there are outstanding characters who could be analysed in depth and promoted. I also have a question about doubles: have you considered the idea of starting the doubles tournament 2-3 days after the start of the singles so as to possibly recover some of the eliminated players, especially the most popular, to boost attention on the doubles tournament?”

AG: “I believe that integration with the WTA could improve this aspect, because we want to have a single point of access for players. The team will be united: today we have one only marketing team, then we also want to have one only team of PR, social media, commercial and many other things. Integration is progressively under way. Then there is always a problem of supply and demand: the demand from you is always much higher than the time offered by the players. And also from this point of view we must succeed in changing the current perception of players who think that playing the match is the end of their commitment. This profit-sharing that we are promoting is aimed at showing tournaments as partners, not as enemies who ask you to spend further 20 minutes with the media. The idea is that even the players of the new generations should understand the reality around the tournament and around the match. There is a need to tell stories, and therefore there is a need to give access to those who tell stories. If the players understand that the more they give time, the more the ecosystem in which they live grows, a virtuous circle will be created. Agents always tend to reserve the player’s time for initiatives that benefit the player and agent directly, and not the tournament, which benefits the whole system. As for doubles, it’s part of the problem we’re facing with Challenger prize money. The prize money is too low for those players who are struggling to survive, so we have to help them. And this negatively affects doubles, that indeed needs support. However this 96-player format for masters 1000 singles tournaments is definitely a help: if you see the Indian Wells doubles draw there are many more singles players who also play doubles. First of all because they have to go to Miami so they have to stay there waiting, but then there is also the question of the rest day. A player never wants to play two games on the same day, but if he can use the rest day to play doubles, it becomes interesting. We’re trying to work on the Challenger issue and the doubles issue over the next six months, to try to make both of them more interesting to the public. It’s not easy because some players want to leave after losing in singles and don’t want to stay, but that’s one of the aspects that we have to deal with.”

Emilio Mancuso, RAI: “Wimbledon without points is really bizarre: if there had been Gaudenzi at the head of the players’ union who knows what would have happened. Also, if you skip the Asian season, will there be possibilities for more tournaments in Italy since it has been proven that in Italy you can organize good events?”

AG: “As far as Wimbledon is concerned, we found ourselves in a situation where no one wanted to be. We responded to a unilateral decision by Wimbledon and we would have preferred to take this decision together with everyone else, also to have a uniformity of action. Now in a few days the USTA will make its decision, Roland Garros has made its decision, and everyone goes their own way. Another reason why governance should be brought together. From our point of view it would have been hard for us to look away when there were 60 players involved in this decision, players who from their point of view were willing to do so many things, and who have done nothing wrong and who are not supporting what is happening. I understand the propaganda theme and the arguments brought by Wimbledon, but at the end of the day, calculating everything, we are a global sport, and we must use our platform to unite, without discriminating people owing to their passport. Let’s hope it will never happen again, and I hope it’s an accident which will bring us to sit at a table to talk. Sometimes you have to break an egg to make an omelette…”

NOTE: press confrence was conducted in Italian and has been translatred into English by Ubitennis.

https://www.ubitennis.net/2022/06/atp-c ... -and-more/

by ponchi101 The most important thing about China is COVID. Peng Shuai be damned.
I gather that it will take the players to decide if this is true. But no one will boycott Shanghai or Beijing, so the WTA will remain alone in this fight.
So easy to disregard human rights when you are not affected.

by JazzNU

by ti-amie

The ATP has issued updates to the 2022 ATP Tour calendar, including cancellation of the 2022 China swing and the inclusion of six additional single-year events.

ATP has today confirmed the Rolex Shanghai Masters, China Open (Beijing), Chengdu Open, and Zhuhai Championships will not take place in 2022 due to ongoing restrictions related to COVID-19. This marks the third year of cancellation for the ATP’s China swing, typically hosted in September and October and last staged in 2019, prior to the pandemic.

In parallel, ATP has announced six ATP 250 tournaments, issued as single-year event licenses for the 2022 season:

Week 38 (19-25 Sep): San Diego, USA (Hard)
Week 39 (26 Sep-2 Oct): Seoul, KOR (Hard); Tel Aviv, ISR (Indoor Hard)
Week 41 (10-16 Oct): Florence, ITA (Indoor Hard); Gijon, ESP (Indoor Hard)
Week 42 (17-23 Oct): Naples, ITA (Hard)

Single-year event licenses were first issued by ATP in 2020, in response to pandemic-related event cancellations, to maintain playing opportunities and also enable tennis to explore new markets.

In addition, the Astana Open in Nur-Sultan, an ATP 250 event, will this year be staged as an ATP 500 alongside the Rakuten Japan Open in Tokyo. The Astana Open became a permanent ATP Tour member this season following two editions as a single-year event in 2020 and 2021, through the transfer and relocation of the St. Petersburg tournament.

All other events for the remainder of the ATP Tour season are currently set to proceed as scheduled, culminating at the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan and Nitto ATP Finals in Turin.

by ponchi101 Good. Drop all tournaments from China.
But. What happens to the Shanghai MS1000? Which other tournament can claim that spot? I say Tokyo should be elevated.

by Cuckoo4Coco I suggest they drop the tournaments in Russia as well and I believe they are not having The Kremlin Cup. Drop all the Russian Tournaments instead of banning the Russian players from playing in tournaments.

by ponchi101 All the tournaments in Russia have been dropped. WTA and ATP.

by Cuckoo4Coco

ponchi101 wrote: ↑Thu Jul 21, 2022 11:23 pm All the tournaments in Russia have been dropped. WTA and ATP.

As it definitely should be.

by ti-amie

Preston Dawkins
@prestondawkins
Well see ya later Cincy. Navarro owns the property, the nicest hotel, and is building out a huge tennis academy in Charleston. It makes no sense for him to keep it Cincy long term. Charleston is a way better location anyways.

by ti-amie More important WC's for Emma Navarro.

by Deuce Yes... that was my thought, as well - that it's a lot of effort and money to ensure your kid's wildcards!

I hope this will somehow put an end to the Canada (Toronto or Montreal) / Cincinnati back-to-back weeks leading up to the U.S. Open. It's ridiculous to have two big 1000 tournaments in successive weeks just a couple of weeks before a Major - especially when it's the last Major of the season. It makes no sense to me. Move Canada 1 week later (where Cincy is now), and move Cincy to be 3 or 4 weeks before Canada.

by meganfernandez

ti-amie wrote:

Preston Dawkins
@prestondawkins
Well see ya later Cincy. Navarro owns the property, the nicest hotel, and is building out a huge tennis academy in Charleston. It makes no sense for him to keep it Cincy long term. Charleston is a way better location anyways.

Cincinnati is one of the oldest continuously running tournaments in the country, if not world. Many players love it. It has three show courts. I doubt tennis will go away completely there. And I’d hope the owners wouldn’t sell it to someone who was going to shutter the tournament.

EDIT: Bret McCormick, who wrote the Sports Business Journal story, said he doesn't think it will move. Another writer said Larry Ellison tried to move IW to San Francisco and that didn't work. Must not be something you can just buy. Cincy is the only significant event in the Midwest, and the crowds are big and players like it. I don't think they'll move it anytime soon.

by Cuckoo4Coco

meganfernandez wrote: ↑Wed Jul 27, 2022 2:49 am
ti-amie wrote:

Preston Dawkins
@prestondawkins
Well see ya later Cincy. Navarro owns the property, the nicest hotel, and is building out a huge tennis academy in Charleston. It makes no sense for him to keep it Cincy long term. Charleston is a way better location anyways.
Cincinnati is one of the oldest continuously running tournaments in the country, if not world. Many players love it. It has three show courts. I doubt tennis will go away completely there. And I’d hope the owners wouldn’t sell it to someone who was going to shutter the tournament.

EDIT: Bret McCormick, who wrote the Sports Business Journal story, said he doesn't think it will move. Another writer said Larry Ellison tried to move IW to San Francisco and that didn't work. Must not be something you can just buy. Cincy is the only significant event in the Midwest, and the crowds are big and players like it. I don't think they'll move it anytime soon.

It just doesn't seem right. Move a very popular and successful event that has been around for ages because of nice hotels and he owns property down there and to top it off if this really would be the case to have his daughter Emma have WC's. I would think buying and investing in an event like Cincy he would want to even improve upon it more and even make more money on it.

by ponchi101 It will be done if the money is there. Remember that it is SPORTS and in all of them, it is spelled $EN$E.

by meganfernandez

ponchi101 wrote: ↑Wed Jul 27, 2022 1:37 pm It will be done if the money is there. Remember that it is SPORTS and in all of them, it is spelled $EN$E.

I'm relieved to know that the people who cover the sport don't expect it to move. There's no reason Cincy and Charleston can't have big events. I just can't see the point of buying the tournament only to shut it down, as if it's competition and not complementary to Charleston. And the tours would have to approve this. If Ellison couldn't buy a relocation, it's bodes well for Cincy... I'm not sure where this idea that Navarro is anti-Cincy is coming from, anyway.

From another insider I know.

by Cuckoo4Coco

ponchi101 wrote: ↑Wed Jul 27, 2022 1:37 pm It will be done if the money is there. Remember that it is SPORTS and in all of them, it is spelled $EN$E.

Greed is what it is.

by meganfernandez

Cuckoo4Coco wrote: ↑Wed Jul 27, 2022 2:14 pm
ponchi101 wrote: ↑Wed Jul 27, 2022 1:37 pm It will be done if the money is there. Remember that it is SPORTS and in all of them, it is spelled $EN$E.
Greed is what it is.

And the greediest people already have plenty. Constantly amazed by how driven people are by money once they have more than enough.

by Cuckoo4Coco

meganfernandez wrote: ↑Wed Jul 27, 2022 2:21 pm
Cuckoo4Coco wrote: ↑Wed Jul 27, 2022 2:14 pm
ponchi101 wrote: ↑Wed Jul 27, 2022 1:37 pm It will be done if the money is there. Remember that it is SPORTS and in all of them, it is spelled $EN$E.
Greed is what it is.
And the greediest people already have plenty. Constantly amazed by how driven people are by money once they have more than enough.

It is weird because I have been shown a totally different view of that. Both of my grandparents are pretty wealthy and they didn't come from a lot of money. My mom & dad(when living) do pretty well, but they have always told me and my brothers that we need to work for what we want. Now I have been helped a lot with my tennis stuff by my grandparents because that is something I could really never afford at my age, but for regular things I still have to do chores and things. My family also gives and works for charities and that is why I have always loved to volunteer with kids learning tennis. I want to give back to others. That is the way people should be I think.

by meganfernandez

Cuckoo4Coco wrote: ↑Wed Jul 27, 2022 2:32 pm
meganfernandez wrote: ↑Wed Jul 27, 2022 2:21 pm
Cuckoo4Coco wrote: ↑Wed Jul 27, 2022 2:14 pm

Greed is what it is.
And the greediest people already have plenty. Constantly amazed by how driven people are by money once they have more than enough.
It is weird because I have been shown a totally different view of that. Both of my grandparents are pretty wealthy and they didn't come from a lot of money. My mom & dad(when living) do pretty well, but they have always told me and my brothers that we need to work for what we want. Now I have been helped a lot with my tennis stuff by my grandparents because that is something I could really never afford at my age, but for regular things I still have to do chores and things. My family also gives and works for charities and that is why I have always loved to volunteer with kids learning tennis. I want to give back to others. That is the way people should be I think.

I'm sure it's not everyone.

Glad you had good examples. I'm talking about the obscenely wealthy.

by Deuce

meganfernandez wrote: ↑Wed Jul 27, 2022 2:21 pm
Cuckoo4Coco wrote: ↑Wed Jul 27, 2022 2:14 pm
ponchi101 wrote: ↑Wed Jul 27, 2022 1:37 pm It will be done if the money is there. Remember that it is SPORTS and in all of them, it is spelled $EN$E.
Greed is what it is.
And the greediest people already have plenty. Constantly amazed by how driven people are by money once they have more than enough.

At a point it becomes just a p!ssing contest, where it's not about accumulating money at all - because they have more than enough to live several lifetimes in luxury... It becomes about status and popularity...

We live in an increasingly superficial world, where a person's worth and value is measured in how many 'likes', 'followers', 'views', etc. one has... and in how much money one has.
We see it in team sports constantly - these players are making 2, 3, 5, 10 Million dollars per year - and they always want more, just to 'prove' (superficially) that they are 'better than' another player who makes 14 dollars less per season.

Meanwhile, there are people living without adequate food or housing - not only in 'third world countries', but also here in North America.
It's absolutely sickening.

by Cuckoo4Coco

meganfernandez wrote: ↑Wed Jul 27, 2022 2:47 pm
Cuckoo4Coco wrote: ↑Wed Jul 27, 2022 2:32 pm
meganfernandez wrote: ↑Wed Jul 27, 2022 2:21 pm

And the greediest people already have plenty. Constantly amazed by how driven people are by money once they have more than enough.
It is weird because I have been shown a totally different view of that. Both of my grandparents are pretty wealthy and they didn't come from a lot of money. My mom & dad(when living) do pretty well, but they have always told me and my brothers that we need to work for what we want. Now I have been helped a lot with my tennis stuff by my grandparents because that is something I could really never afford at my age, but for regular things I still have to do chores and things. My family also gives and works for charities and that is why I have always loved to volunteer with kids learning tennis. I want to give back to others. That is the way people should be I think.
I'm sure it's not everyone. Glad you had good examples. I'm talking about the obscenely wealthy.

We certainly are not obscenely wealthy. Yep, I have great examples.

by Suliso It's not really about money, that's only a side thing. It's about power and humans have desired power above all else since the stone age. If you don't believe me read some more history about ancient nobles, kings, conquerors etc.

by Cuckoo4Coco

Suliso wrote: ↑Wed Jul 27, 2022 6:40 pm It's not really about money, that's only a side thing. It's about power and humans have desired power above all else since the stone age. If you don't believe me read some more history about ancient nobles, kings, conquerors etc.

Oh I have read about them in my History books.

by meganfernandez About the Cincy news and concerns Navarro might move it

by ti-amie Yves Simon @yvessimonsevy

Translated from French by
Kyrgios forfeits the Laver Cup at the end of September. What about the Davis Cup just after the US Open?
Australia

must challenge Germany

, France

and Belgium

in Hamburg.

TennisActu
@TennisActu
Laver Cup : Kyrgios explique son forfait : "C'est à cause de ma copine" #LaverCup #Kyrgios #NickKyrgios #Tennis #Sock
Translated from French by
Laver Cup: Kyrgios explains his package: "It's because of my girlfriend" #LaverCup #Kyrgios #NickKyrgios #Tennis #Sock

by ti-amie

by AcesAnnie

ti-amie wrote: ↑Wed Aug 24, 2022 6:54 pm

Great tune up for the USO.

by ponchi101 Check you calendar, Aces. If Rafa is doing this as a tune up for the USO, it might not work...

by AcesAnnie

ponchi101 wrote: ↑Wed Aug 24, 2022 7:17 pm Check you calendar, Aces. If Rafa is doing this as a tune up for the USO, it might not work...

Yeah,

looking back he would be a little late to the party.

by Suliso I'm hearing that WTA finals this year will be in Fort Worth, TX.

by ponchi101 Well, it is good that they will keep it in Mexico...
Seriously? Guadalajara made one hell of an effort, they put on a fine tournament, the players loved it, and this is how the WTA promotes the sport? Then they wonder why there are no Latin or South American female players of any relevance on tour.
And no, Cami is not of relevance. Working hard, but she is #70.

by Suliso Maybe Guadalajara had no money... I think long term if China is out and it looks like it is they'd like to return to US permanently. Of course NYC would be better, but that would have to be arranged long in advance.

by ponchi101 Being down here, we had some ESPN interviews with the organizers of Guadalajara. They had the money; they just did not have a permanent stadium and the only thing they wanted was a long-term commitment before putting down the money for such a structure. And, the people that did it last year were also adamant of keeping it in Guadalajara which, mind you, is not a little town in the middle of nowhere. They also wanted to make sure that it would not be moved to the more "glamorous" but also way more inconvenient Mexico City.
Plus, the players would not want to play in the D.F. The altitude there is severe (a bit below Bogota at 2,300 Mts OSL)

by Suliso I'd be very surprised if it stays in Texas long term.

by meganfernandez

ponchi101 wrote: ↑Sat Sep 03, 2022 3:33 pm Well, it is good that they will keep it in Mexico...
Seriously? Guadalajara made one hell of an effort, they put on a fine tournament, the players loved it, and this is how the WTA promotes the sport? Then they wonder why there are no Latin or South American female players of any relevance on tour.
And no, Cami is not of relevance. Working hard, but she is #70.

Fort Worth? Oh lord. I had to go there to play USTA nationals once and even I was disappointed. Can't imagine them sending the best players in the world there. Sorry, Fort Worthers. Too bad about Guadalajara, if this is true. The crowds there were fantastic.

by ponchi101 @ Suliso. Especially in Ft. Worth. My understanding is that the tennis city in Texas is Houston, and they could not keep the ATP WTF there for more than a couple of years.

by Suliso Exactly. The only logical place in US this late in the season is NYC.

by ponchi101 Uh, how about West Coast? LA, San Francisco. How about indoors Chicago, a great town, or indoors Boston?
It would be dumb because Miami already has a big MS1000, but I played plenty of tennis outdoors in November in Miami.

by Suliso All those would be better than Fort Worth too... But still I think in NYC would be the easiest to fill the stadium.

by New England Nitemare Boston!!! I'm totally down for that since I live here. But the tour finals did have a successful run in NYC from 1979-2000. Outdoors I think LA would be a good city for the finals.

by ponchi101 Lalo Varela, a mexican sportscaster with ESPN, just said that the event will be held IN DALLAS, at the Dickies arena. But, the plot is more complicated. The organizers will be the same group that did in Guadalajara, meaning they are mexican.
So, they kept the event, just not the city.

by Suliso

ponchi101 wrote: ↑Sat Sep 03, 2022 7:02 pm Lalo Varela, a mexican sportscaster with ESPN, just said that the event will be held IN DALLAS, at the Dickies arena. But, the plot is more complicated. The organizers will be the same group that did in Guadalajara, meaning they are mexican.
So, they kept the event, just not the city.

That's weird. I wonder why...

by ponchi101 I was joking last year that one of the main sponsors in Mexico is a giant bread/bakery products company, pretty much covering all of the Americas. They put a lot of the money.
The problem is that their name is BIMBO. It is completely meaningless in Spanish, and the symbol is a baking bear, but who knows if the inevitable English jokes were considered.

by meganfernandez

ponchi101 wrote: ↑Sat Sep 03, 2022 7:11 pm I was joking last year that one of the main sponsors in Mexico is a giant bread/bakery products company, pretty much covering all of the Americas. They put a lot of the money.
The problem is that their name is BIMBO. It is completely meaningless in Spanish, and the symbol is a baking bear, but who knows if the inevitable English jokes were considered.

Maybe they can embrace it. I think a lot of Americans know Bimbo snack cakes, which are basically Little Debbie's here. Bimbo is such a dated term here, like from Loni Anderson's time. I think it's funny. But the WTA and Hologix probably won't.

Anyway, a Bimbo would be a guy, right?

by ponchi101 Oh, sure, it is from my era. But, you have to admit:
"The WTA Finals. Live, from Guadalajara. Presented by BIMBO".
The jokes don't come out because they are crashing into each other at the gate. At least for me.

by meganfernandez

ponchi101 wrote: ↑Sat Sep 03, 2022 7:40 pm Oh, sure, it is from my era. But, you have to admit:
"The WTA Finals. Live, from Guadalajara. Presented by BIMBO".
The jokes don't come out because they are crashing into each other at the gate. At least for me.

I guess "presented by BIMBO sweet cakes" isn't an improvement.

by ti-amie

by ti-amie Dickies Arena? BIMBO?

by ponchi101

ti-amie wrote: ↑Sat Sep 03, 2022 10:06 pm Dickies Arena? BIMBO?

Don't get me started...
You did. I will ban myself in about 1/2 hour.

by Deuce One gimmick replacing another?
Seems like it...

Coming: 'United Cup' Mixed Event...

.

by texasniteowl For anyone not aware, the arena is named for a local manufacturing company.

edit: workwear, overalls, etc. https://www.dickies.com/

by Owendonovan Why is the WTA even considering Texas where women are valued a bit less than cattle feed?

by ponchi101 Because they have had no issues holding events in China in the past, where women are also treated like second class citizens, and even Doha, in a country where women are also valued solely by their reproductive capacities.
It always puzzled me, too.

by meganfernandez

ponchi101 wrote: ↑Wed Sep 07, 2022 3:55 pm Because they have had no issues holding events in China in the past, where women are also treated like second class citizens, and even Doha, in a country where women are also valued solely by their reproductive capacities.
It always puzzled me, too.

The WTA whispered in a press release that the finals are returning to Shenzhen next year

by ti-amie

meganfernandez wrote: ↑Mon Sep 12, 2022 5:44 pm
ponchi101 wrote: ↑Wed Sep 07, 2022 3:55 pm Because they have had no issues holding events in China in the past, where women are also treated like second class citizens, and even Doha, in a country where women are also valued solely by their reproductive capacities.
It always puzzled me, too.
The WTA whispered in a press release that the finals are returning to Shenzhen next year

They signed a ten year contract didn't they?

by Suliso That's only if China is done with locking down at last.

by ponchi101 Money will talk.

by Suliso It will, but didn't happen for ATP this year. That's what I'm referring to.

by meganfernandez

ponchi101 wrote: ↑Mon Sep 12, 2022 8:20 pm Money will talk.

And yet hush money is just as powerful.

by ponchi101

meganfernandez wrote: ↑Tue Sep 13, 2022 2:14 pm
ponchi101 wrote: ↑Mon Sep 12, 2022 8:20 pm Money will talk.
And yet hush money is just as powerful.

Explain. Pls.

by meganfernandez

ponchi101 wrote: ↑Tue Sep 13, 2022 2:52 pm
meganfernandez wrote: ↑Tue Sep 13, 2022 2:14 pm
ponchi101 wrote: ↑Mon Sep 12, 2022 8:20 pm Money will talk.
And yet hush money is just as powerful.
Explain. Pls.

Paying people to NOT talk. If money it talking the WTA into returning to China, it's simultaneously muzzling them about Peng Shuai. It's just a peculiar irony - money talks, but sometimes the result is silence.

by ti-amie

by ponchi101 Good that the prize money has increased. I wonder if there are other perks, like hospitality and traveling (some sort of arrangement for players to fly at a discount. It is a major expense).

by ti-amie Whoever is running social media for the ATP Challenger Tour has raised its profile big time. Every week you get the winners, the trophy shots, all of it.

Now if only the other tour would up the profile of its "challenger level" events...

Yeah I know if wishes were horses...

by ti-amie

by ponchi101 Why have they gotten rid of any and all MEANINGFUL and historic events, and now they are trying to get them back? Never mind the Hopman Cup did not give points; it had a great history behind it, and it honored a great coach.
And, The United Cup? Sounds like the airline is sponsoring it.

by Deuce

Deuce wrote: ↑Wed Sep 07, 2022 5:02 am One gimmick replacing another?
Seems like it...

Coming: 'United Cup' Mixed Event...

.

by ti-amie

by JazzNU

by ponchi101 I'll say I like the logo. A half ball

by ashkor87 A welcome development! Though I would have preferred it to have more doubles.....

by Deuce I wonder how they're going to screw with the rules and the scoring system for this 'United Cup' gimmick...

by meganfernandez So basically back to Hopman Cup under a different name?

by JazzNU

by JazzNU ^^So basically ATP can stop embarrassing themselves while Davis Cup is occurring where they've been acting like no tennis is taking place.

by JazzNU

meganfernandez wrote: ↑Fri Oct 28, 2022 1:16 am So basically back to Hopman Cup under a different name?

No, this is the re-imagined ATP Cup, but now it's the ATP/WTA Cup. Three cities, 18 countries, with qualifications based on the singles ranking, so basically the same format and logistics of the ATP Cup with minor tweaks to account for now including both tours. Prize money and rankings points also appear to be similar. ATP Cup is being shut down in favor of this event after it failed to catch on.

Hopman Cup, which was invite-only and featured only 8 countries and doesn't qualify for rankings points, is set to return in 2023. I don't understand why, but it'll take place in Nice, France on clay.

by skatingfan

JazzNU wrote: ↑Mon Oct 31, 2022 7:30 pm No, this is the re-imagined ATP Cup, but now it's the ATP/WTA Cup. Three cities, 18 countries, with qualifications based on the singles ranking, so basically the same format and logistics of the ATP Cup with minor tweaks to account for now including both tours. Prize money and rankings points also appear to be similar. ATP Cup is being shut down in favor of this event after it failed to catch on.

Hopman Cup, which was invite-only and featured only 8 countries and doesn't qualify for rankings points, is set to return in 2023. I don't understand why, but it'll take place in Nice, France on clay.

That kind of sounds like the team event that used to be staged in the lead up to the French Open.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Team_Cup

by Deuce Russians and Belarusians are not permitted to play in the 'United Cup' gimmick.
Presumably because it's a team, 'country vs. country' event...

No Russians or Belarusians at 'United Cup'...

.

by JazzNU

by patrick Please explain why there is pending ATP 6?

by JazzNU

patrick wrote: ↑Thu Nov 10, 2022 6:23 pm Please explain why there is pending ATP 6?

ATP Finals affect rankings. Nov 21st rankings are the final ones used.

by Deuce What does "16 countries locked in, two to be revealed" mean?

I'm not a fan of artificially created 'suspense'.

by Deuce The 'Hopman Cup' is returning in 2023... sort of.
New time, new location (outside of Australia!).

If you ask me, tennis is oversaturating itself in its unceasing attempts to milk a buck everywhere.

Hopman Cup Returns - in... France!

.

by ti-amie

by ponchi101 Yes. He is no "NEXT" anything. He is here already.

by ti-amie Quentin Moynet
@QuentinMoynet
Communiqué sur les sessions de nuit à Roland-Garros : "Au vu de la valeur symbolique de Roland-Garros, le Comité insiste sur l'importance qu'il y a à permettre, au-delà des obligations légales, un accès gratuit à la plupart des matches diffusés et aux plus importants d'entre eux"
Translated from French by Google
Press release on the night sessions at Roland-Garros: "In view of the symbolic value of Roland-Garros, the Committee insists on the importance of allowing, beyond the legal obligations, free access to the most of the matches broadcast and the most important of them"

by ponchi101 And why are they releasing this?

by ti-amie

ponchi101 wrote: ↑Thu Dec 22, 2022 9:58 pm And why are they releasing this?

I have the same question.

by JazzNU

by JazzNU BTW, Biggest thing of note here to me:

**A total of five 12-day ATP Masters 1000 tournaments in Indian Wells, Miami, Madrid, Rome and Shanghai, following the recent expansion of events under OneVision.**

by ponchi101 Why expand those? They were fine events the way they were.
And of course, great for the ATP to play Shanghai. Women's rights in China? (expletive) that noise!
Cowards.

by 3mlm Meanwhile, the WTA hasn't released any calendar information for tour level tournaments after the 2023 US Open.

by JazzNU

ponchi101 wrote: ↑Wed Mar 22, 2023 10:23 pm Why expand those? They were fine events the way they were.
And of course, great for the ATP to play Shanghai. Women's rights in China? (expletive) that noise!
Cowards.

It's part of their One Vision thing, beyond that, I'm not completely sure. There were rumblings before about other tournaments complaining about the IW and Miami schedules, saying it was unfair they got the extra time and promotion. Madrid expanded the women's tournament two years ago, but that was about the pandemic initially. And I haven't heard if the the women are getting the same upgrades in draws and prize money at the joint tournaments.

I wondered if this was to give the players a bit more rest, it's clearly a more relaxing few weeks for the players at IW and Miami, but I haven't heard it being related to that.

ATP is returning with Chinese tournaments this season. It's very disappointing, especially because the ATP could likely without too significant of a struggle figure out replacement events with major sponsors for anything that takes place there unlike the WTA.

by skatingfan

3mlm wrote: ↑Thu Mar 23, 2023 8:11 am Meanwhile, the WTA hasn't released any calendar information for tour level tournaments after the 2023 US Open.

Still negotiating their return to China.

by Suliso I'm thinking it's a bit hypocritical to make a stand about women's rights in China and at the same time be all in on tournaments in the Middle East.

by JazzNU

by JazzNU ^^ Seems like a better route for her return at the moment. We've seen many players come back and be able to win a match or two at main tour events while they knock off the rust, but Elina doesn't seem to be an example of that. She could likely do it at the 250 level, but the frequency of those tournaments has been sacrificed with these two week Madrid and Rome events.

Seems to me should she get herself back in match form as best she can as long as she can mentally take the step down in tournament level. She has not just the protected ranking but unlimited wild cards when her game is closer to being back to a top tier level and she can use both for entries.

by ashkor87 I am not sure I endorse the strategy of playing ITF and challengers...there are good players there too, and a loss would just shatter a player used to being a top player ..if you win them all, yes but there are so many uncertainties in this game anyway. .

by ponchi101 Agassi went that way ages ago, and I think it is a good path. It is better to get three matches in one week (and therefore get back in some sort of groove) than lose on Monday, and not hit any sort of competitive practice for the rest of the week.
And also. It can give you an idea of where you are. Sure, Elina won the matches, but the second one was 7-6 in the third. That says something too.

by JazzNU She also lost in them as well. One loss was to Clara Tauson, who really shouldn't be at that level either. Having fewer 250s makes ITF where players are going to need to play when they are lower ranked, coming back from injury, or in need of getting their game back on track.125s are preferable for all I'm sure, but they don't stage the same number of those as the others. Paire, Goffin, and Berrettini come to mind as players who have done it in recent years. Svitolina is far from an outlier and no one was calling out those players when they did it, they got praised for it.

by ti-amie

by JazzNU

by ponchi101 And we spoke that Paul should be considered a tough out during the clay swing. So far, not that tough. Not that easy either (he made this final) but he needs to crank it up in Rome.

by ti-amie José Morgado

@josemorgado@sportsbots.xyz
Portuguese Tennis Federation announces that the WTA Tour will return to Portugal for the first time since 2014.

Details on city, calendar, category, surface, etc, to be known on Wednesday.

by JazzNU

by ponchi101 On one hand, some lower ranked players are being bumped out of these challengers because of the expansion of the Madrid/Rome draws.
On the other, some lower ranked players were able to play Madrid/Rome.
I gather this has to be analyzed later on by the ATP.

by JazzNU

ponchi101 wrote: ↑Tue May 16, 2023 11:01 pm On one hand, some lower ranked players are being bumped out of these challengers because of the expansion of the Madrid/Rome draws.
On the other, some lower ranked players were able to play Madrid/Rome.
I gather this has to be analyzed later on by the ATP.

I certainly hope so. For me, they need to add in additional 125k/150k tournaments during these weeks and I'd be in favor of allowing a single 250 both weeks as well instead of that. I don't see how that would pull attention away from these big tournaments anymore than the 125/150s are. These moves have to be messing with the finances of the lower ranked players,

by ti-amie

by ti-amie ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- The WTA announced Friday the 2023 fall calendar outlining the tournaments that will take place following the US Open through to the WTA Finals.

Highlights and updates for this period in the 2023 WTA calendar include:

WTA 1000 tournaments taking place in Guadalajara and Beijing
WTA 500 events in San Diego, Tokyo and Zhengzhou across September and October
WTA 250 tournaments being held in Osaka, Guangzhou, Ningbo, Hong Kong, Seoul, Nanchang and Monastir
Continual expansion of WTA 125 events taking place through mid-December across several continents
Click here to the see the full 2023 WTA calendar

https://wtafiles.wtatennis.com/pdf/cale ... r-2023.pdf

Back to the empty stadiums.

https://www.wtatennis.com/news/3526975/ ... l-calendar

by ti-amie Christopher Clarey

@christophclarey@sportsbots.xyz
A new date and not an ideal date the week after the #USOpen for the San Diego event but it still gets a great field even if Swiatek won't be back with her new surfboard to defend her title

by meganfernandez

ti-amie wrote: ↑Wed Aug 16, 2023 8:48 pm Christopher Clarey
@christophclarey@sportsbots.xyz
A new date and not an ideal date the week after the #USOpen for the San Diego event but it still gets a great field even if Swiatek won't be back with her new surfboard to defend her title

And probably a wild card for Venus!

by nelslus ....AND, suddenly, we find out that there's is a legit women's tournament in Chicago this week!! These freakin' tournaments just come in with zero notice. We've signed up with assorted tennis tournament e-mail groups....And, you know, this IS Chicago. LOL, so pathetic..

The folks there are super sweet- and I love how that facility works to help youth of color play tennis.

We probably won't be able to go until Friday afternoon and Saturday. I may try to sneak in another day or two. But, the weather is supposed to get super-hot starting tomorrow (and lighten up, starting Friday. Although, the weather " patterns" here change all of the time.) And, I still get PTSD from their Porta-Potty-Only options.

by nelslus PS: Apologies in advance if I didn't choose the correct thread to post in. There are too many damned options in here!! Tennis Random Random, Tennis Player Random Random....

by ponchi101

nelslus wrote: ↑Mon Aug 21, 2023 7:42 pm PS: Apologies in advance if I didn't choose the correct thread to post in. There are too many damned options in here!! Tennis Random Random, Tennis Player Random Random....

Uhm... you posted about a tennis tournament in the TOURNAMENTS' topic. I think you got it right

Have fun when you go

by nelslus

ponchi101 wrote: ↑Mon Aug 21, 2023 9:00 pm
nelslus wrote: ↑Mon Aug 21, 2023 7:42 pm PS: Apologies in advance if I didn't choose the correct thread to post in. There are too many damned options in here!! Tennis Random Random, Tennis Player Random Random....
Uhm... you posted about a tennis tournament in the TOURNAMENTS' topic. I think you got it right
Have fun when you go

What- there's no Tennis Tournaments Random Random?

by ptmcmahon Of course there is.

It's back on Tat 1.0

by ashkor87 https://www.tennis.com/news/articles/at ... injured-pl

A good move by the ATP to support players...

by ti-amie

This year's tournament will take place from 28 November-2 December 2023
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, has been officially announced as the host city of the Next Gen ATP Finals, from 2023-2027. The tournament will take place over five days at the King Abdullah Sports City on indoor hard court from 28 November-2 December 2023, with a record US $2 million prize money on offer, following five successful editions of the tournament in Milan, Italy.

The ATP’s announcement follows a competitive bid process launched in March 2023, with the support of Deloitte’s Sport Business Group. The process evaluated host cities from multiple regions against criteria including venue, international connectivity, and potential to grow professional tennis in a new market.

In addition to delivering record prize money for players, Jeddah’s successful bid, led by the Saudi Tennis Federation (STF), makes history as the first official professional tennis event to take place in Saudi Arabia. It builds on a more than 30-year presence in the Middle East for the ATP Tour.

ATP Chairman Andrea Gaudenzi said: "The ATP Tour is truly global and exploring new markets is central to growing the game. Bringing the Next Gen ATP Finals to Jeddah is our chance to inspire new fans, in a region with a vast young population, and unite audiences around tennis. Our congratulations go to Jeddah and the Saudi Tennis Federation. We look forward to building on the event’s incredible success together.”

Tennis is at a major inflection point in Saudi Arabia. Recreational clinics are at full capacity across the country, reflecting STF’s commitment to raising awareness and fostering interest among Saudi’s young, sport-enthusiastic population. Ambitious participation targets, an increase in the number of international tennis competitions, and establishing tennis as the marquee gender-equal sport in Saudi Arabia, have all been set as objectives in line with Vision 2030, which aspires to turn the Kingdom into a major sports, entertainment and tourism hub.

Arij Mutabagani, President of the Saudi Tennis Federation, said: “We are extremely proud that ATP has selected Jeddah to host such an important tennis event. The Next Gen ATP Finals embodies the philosophy of our Federation, which is to inspire young talent to reach the sport’s highest levels. We’re excited to collaborate to promote the ATP Tour’s most promising rising stars, and showcase new sporting innovations, in our special city of Jeddah.”

The Next Gen ATP Finals, first launched in 2017, has established itself as one of the highlights of the tennis season, showcasing the world’s best 21-and-under players in a fast-paced year-end format. Notably, nine of the current Top 10 players in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings having competed at the event, highlighting its role in showcasing the future stars of the sport. Past champions like Stefanos Tsitsipas, Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz have used the event as a stepping-stone to further success in their careers.

The event also serves as a platform to test rule changes, new technologies and innovations in the sport, many of which have gone on to be incorporated on the ATP Tour.

https://www.nextgenatpfinals.com/en/new ... nouncement

by ponchi101 Another event to boycott.

by ashkor87

ponchi101 wrote: ↑Fri Aug 25, 2023 2:58 pm Another event to boycott.

true but not as bad as a women's tournament, considering women arent even allowed to drive there..the hypocricy of that is breath-taking.

by meganfernandez

ashkor87 wrote: ↑Fri Aug 25, 2023 3:25 pm
ponchi101 wrote: ↑Fri Aug 25, 2023 2:58 pm Another event to boycott.
true but not as bad as a women's tournament, considering women arent even allowed to drive there..the hypocricy of that is breath-taking.

Or wear proper athletic clothing that shows skin.

by ti-amie

by ponchi101 BY now the deal has been signed, for sure. But it would only take Iga and somebody else to say "we are not going" for this thing to be brougth to a stop.
As always, bravo Martina.

by ti-amie

ponchi101 wrote: ↑Fri Aug 25, 2023 10:02 pm BY now the deal has been signed, for sure. But it would only take Iga and somebody else to say "we are not going" for this thing to be brougth to a stop.
As always, bravo Martina.

I agree that the deal has been signed and that the WTA is going to try and announce it while the US Open is going on hoping fans will be distracted.

Sadly the WTA players will not challenge this because of the financials. They play for almost nothing all year except for Slams and 1000 events (they're actually 940 events but whatever) and can't afford to pass this up. None of them will say a word even if they have to go back to wearing what Suzanne Lenglen wore.

by meganfernandez

ti-amie wrote:
ponchi101 wrote: ↑Fri Aug 25, 2023 10:02 pm BY now the deal has been signed, for sure. But it would only take Iga and somebody else to say "we are not going" for this thing to be brougth to a stop.
As always, bravo Martina.
I agree that the deal has been signed and that the WTA is going to try and announce it while the US Open is going on hoping fans will be distracted.

Sadly the WTA players will not challenge this because of the financials. They play for almost nothing all year except for Slams and 1000 events (they're actually 940 events but whatever) and can't afford to pass this up. None of them will say a word even if they have to go back to wearing what Suzanne Lenglen wore.

Did any women play the Saudi exo last year in the offseason, or whenever they had it/them? If so, wonder what they had to wear.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

by Suliso

ti-amie wrote: ↑Fri Aug 25, 2023 10:14 pm
Sadly the WTA players will not challenge this because of the financials. They play for almost nothing all year except for Slams and 1000 events (they're actually 940 events but whatever) and can't afford to pass this up. None of them will say a word even if they have to go back to wearing what Suzanne Lenglen wore.

You're joking right? Everyone qualifying for WTA finals is making above 1 million per year on court alone. What ATP is making is irrelevant

As for clothing Saudi's won't mind them wearing whatever they want. They're into sportswashing and these are not "their" women.

by meganfernandez

Suliso wrote: ↑Mon Aug 28, 2023 1:39 pm
ti-amie wrote: ↑Fri Aug 25, 2023 10:14 pm
Sadly the WTA players will not challenge this because of the financials. They play for almost nothing all year except for Slams and 1000 events (they're actually 940 events but whatever) and can't afford to pass this up. None of them will say a word even if they have to go back to wearing what Suzanne Lenglen wore.
You're joking right? Everyone qualifying for WTA finals is making above 1 million per year on court alone. What ATP is making is irrelevant

As for clothing Saudi's won't mind them wearing whatever they want. They're into sportswashing and these are not "their" women.

WWE female athletes had to cover up to wrestle in SA.

by ti-amie

Suliso wrote: ↑Mon Aug 28, 2023 1:39 pm
ti-amie wrote: ↑Fri Aug 25, 2023 10:14 pm
Sadly the WTA players will not challenge this because of the financials. They play for almost nothing all year except for Slams and 1000 events (they're actually 940 events but whatever) and can't afford to pass this up. None of them will say a word even if they have to go back to wearing what Suzanne Lenglen wore.
You're joking right? Everyone qualifying for WTA finals is making above 1 million per year on court alone. What ATP is making is irrelevant

As for clothing Saudi's won't mind them wearing whatever they want. They're into sportswashing and these are not "their" women.

If you look at what a WTA 250 pays vs an ATP 250 the women are playing for peanuts most of the year. The ones getting huge appearance fees - like Iga playing Poland - do offset the low pay but not everyone gets that boost.
When you can look at the WTA top 10 and go "her?" you can bet advertisers/TD's are doing the same.

WWE women performers had to cover up. The picture is posted upthread.

by ashkor87 now the Telegraph reports there will be a 2 day summit soon to consider merging the WTA and ATP tours.. good idea? I think not.. the women will get sidelined even further.. what do folks here think?

by ti-amie The full article is in the Tennis Random - Off Court Serious Issues.

I agree with you.

by ponchi101 I say it would not work. What would happen to the smaller tournaments that are not mixed? Bogota, for example. The ATP event was cancelled, because it was not able to carry itself. The WTA carries on. And there are plenty of tournaments in the ATP that simply do not have the facilities to hole a mixed.
Plus. I don't see the men doing this if it costs them one penny.

by ti-amie TBH any deal that involves the WTA "merging" with the ATP will be detrimental to the WTA. I've read several scenarios where it's been suggested that the "merger" be more like the NBA/WNBA relationship or the PGA/LPGA arrangement but no matter what the WTA will suffer. This is why I think we'll see SA instead of Ostrava!!! be selected. The WTA needs the ca$h.

I'll be happy if I'm wrong.

by ti-amie The number of ATP 250 tournaments will be reduced from 2025

Five ATP 250 tournaments, including Lyon, will disappear from the circuit from 2025. The objective is in particular to clarify an already dense calendar.

In the restructuring phase in 2025, the ATP circuit will lighten its schedule. According to our information, three tournaments will move to the 500 category, by purchasing the 250 tournament licenses which will thus disappear from the circuit. Those who will move up will be Doha (which “buys” Newport), Dallas (for Atlanta) and Munich, which will “merge” with the Lyon tournament, led by the Ascione-Tsonga duo, thus confirming information published in Le Progrès , Wednesday, which signaled the short-term disappearance of the French tournament.

The ATP will also remove the 250 tournaments in Estoril and Mallorca from the circuit, with the apparent aim of homogenizing the calendar and avoiding weeks where four tournaments could coexist. Most 500 category tournaments will be two on the same date (Doha-Rotterdam, Dallas-Rio, Acapulco-Dubai...), with the exception of Hamburg, which should be played the week before Roland-Garros.

https://www.lequipe.fr/Tennis/Actualite ... 25/1423622
(French)

by skatingfan This looks like they are taking steps to make space for the two Masters 1000 events to expand to 10 days in the summer.

by ti-amie Australian Open's 'historic' scheduling change on back of 4.05am finish
By Zachary Gates
5 days ago

Next year's Australian Open will begin on a Sunday and the Melbourne major will become a 15-day event, organisers announced on Tuesday.

An Australian Open statement said the decision was made to reduce the number of late-night finishes, which players and fans had flagged as an issue.

This year's match between Andy Murray and Thanasi Kokkinakis did not finish until 4.05am. The only Australian Open match to have finished later was the marathon 2008 battle between Marcos Baghdatis and Lleyton Hewitt.

The extra day of action will also give Nine more exposure to prime-time television.

The Australian Open will be matching Roland-Garros in becoming a 15-day event for the first time. The two other majors, Wimbledon and the US Open, run for 14 days.

Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley spoke of the positive impact the change would have on players and fans.

"We've listened to feedback from the players and fans and are excited to deliver a solution to minimise late finishes while continuing to provide a fair and equitable schedule on the stadium courts," Tiley said.

"The additional day will achieve this, benefiting scheduling for fans and players alike.

"The first round will now be played over three days instead of two, also giving fans an extra day of unbelievable tennis, entertainment, food and family fun.

"Every year our team works hard to bring fans an event that feels new and exciting, and this is another opportunity to grow what is already the biggest annual sporting event in the world in January."

An Australian Open statement described the change as an "historic first".

Next year's event will run from January 14-28.

Tickets will go on sale on October 12.

https://wwos.nine.com.au/tennis/austral ... ocial-WWOS

by skatingfan How is spreading the first round over 3 days going to prevent a 2nd round match scheduled second on a show court in a night session from running until the early hours of the next day?

by ti-amie

skatingfan wrote: ↑Sat Oct 07, 2023 7:53 pm How is spreading the first round over 3 days going to prevent a 2nd round match scheduled second on a show court in a night session from running until the early hours of the next day?

Stop trying to apply logic to a situation where none was used. It's just a way for the tournament to make more money.

by mmmm8

ti-amie wrote: ↑Sat Oct 07, 2023 7:55 pm
skatingfan wrote: ↑Sat Oct 07, 2023 7:53 pm How is spreading the first round over 3 days going to prevent a 2nd round match scheduled second on a show court in a night session from running until the early hours of the next day?
Stop trying to apply logic to a situation where none was used. It's just a way for the tournament to make more money.

Why not just say we want to give working fans more time to enjoy or something like that, the given reasoning is silly and they'll look stupid when they have a 4 am finish on day 4 in 2024.

by ti-amie

The link wouldn't work for me so I'm not sure if it's the right one

https://fb.watch/nB57_VrBTD/

by ponchi101 I would go even further. I am pretty sure that no other tournament, other than Wimby, has had such a long run. The US, Aussie, Canadian and all other important tournaments have moved locations in the last century.
Not sure about RG.

by mmmm8

ponchi101 wrote: ↑Tue Oct 10, 2023 10:23 pm I would go even further. I am pretty sure that no other tournament, other than Wimby, has had such a long run. The US, Aussie, Canadian and all other important tournaments have moved locations in the last century.
Not sure about RG.

RG got the current site in 1928 - following France's 1927 Davis Cup victory. I remember because there are statues to the Mousquetaires who are Lacoste, Borotra, and two other guys whose names I don't remember.

But the tournament started in 1891 in Paris, so predates Cincy for the "city of origin"

by ti-amie SIGH

Who was it who said he's just trying to sell tickets?

by meganfernandez

ponchi101 wrote: ↑Tue Oct 10, 2023 10:23 pm I would go even further. I am pretty sure that no other tournament, other than Wimby, has had such a long run. The US, Aussie, Canadian and all other important tournaments have moved locations in the last century.
Not sure about RG.

Cincy has always been touted as the second- or third-oldest continuous tournament in the original city or on the original site. Can't remember. The oldest in the US played in the original city.

by ti-amie ATP Announces ATP 250 Event In Sofia
Oct
17
2023
ATP Staff
Tournament will take place as a single-year licence
The ATP has announced that an ATP 250 event in Sofia, Bulgaria, has been added to 2023 ATP Tour calendar. The tournament will take place as a single-year licence, replacing the Tel Aviv Watergen Open, which was cancelled due to the outbreak of war in the region.

The Sofia Open, operated by the Bulgarian Tennis Federation, will take place at the Sofia Arena and will offer Euros 562,815 in prize money.

Stefan Tzvetkov, Bulgarian Tennis Federation President, said: “We’re excited to host ATP Tour tennis back in the historic city of Sofia again. It goes without saying that we wish the circumstances were different, and our thoughts remain with all those affected by the terrible conflict. Our appreciation goes to ATP, the Bulgarian Government, the Municipality, and our team. We look forward to working together with ATP to deliver a successful event for the players and the incredible fans of Bulgaria.”

The Sofia Open was first held in 2016 and counts players including Jannik Sinner, Daniil Medvedev and Grigor Dimitrov among its past champions.

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/sofia-2023-announcement

by ti-amie The Tennis Podcast
@TennisPodcast
Great reporting, grim reading

Matt Futterman
@MattFutterman
·
4h
The top women’s tennis players asked for a written response to their requests on workplace issues like pay and maternity leave. They got meetings without their representatives and talking points on being ok playing in Saudi Arabia. ⁦@TheAthletic⁩ https://theathletic.com/5014481/2023/10 ... ed_article

by ti-amie

by ponchi101

ti-amie wrote: ↑Tue Oct 31, 2023 1:46 am The Tennis Podcast
@TennisPodcast
Great reporting, grim reading

Matt Futterman
@MattFutterman
·
4h
The top women’s tennis players asked for a written response to their requests on workplace issues like pay and maternity leave. They got meetings without their representatives and talking points on being ok playing in Saudi Arabia. ⁦@TheAthletic⁩ https://theathletic.com/5014481/2023/10 ... ed_article

by ti-amie

by ti-amie Either Simon's first language isn't English or this was done using AI. I mean there are no proofreaders in the WTA? And I'm sorry "Hi..." is how an official document/email is sent these days?

Then again maybe the names of the players were edited out.

Also what were the complications that made the WTA have to shoulder the entire cost of building this "stadium" ?

by ponchi101 Might as well have started it with "Yoohoo!"

by ti-amie

ponchi101 wrote: ↑Fri Nov 03, 2023 12:50 pm Might as well have started it with "Yoohoo!"

by nelslus Hi.....

We don't give a sh*t about your concerns, and we will continue to make gobs of money off of your sweat and tears.

Cuddles....

Steve

PS:

"Yoohoo!"

by ashkor87

ti-amie wrote: ↑Tue Oct 31, 2023 1:46 am The Tennis Podcast
@TennisPodcast
Great reporting, grim reading

Matt Futterman
@MattFutterman
·
4h
The top women’s tennis players asked for a written response to their requests on workplace issues like pay and maternity leave. They got meetings without their representatives and talking points on being ok playing in Saudi Arabia. ⁦@TheAthletic⁩ https://theathletic.com/5014481/2023/10 ... ed_article

1984 !! very Orwellian...

by ti-amie

by ponchi101 Atlanta? That's a blow. That is a tournament with a lot of history and it is not as if Atlanta and all of Georgia are not tennis hotbeds.
It's a tough tour.

by ti-amie I was surprised about Atlanta.

by skatingfan

ponchi101 wrote: ↑Thu Nov 09, 2023 10:03 pm Atlanta? That's a blow. That is a tournament with a lot of history and it is not as if Atlanta and all of Georgia are not tennis hotbeds.
It's a tough tour.

ti-amie wrote: ↑Thu Nov 09, 2023 11:33 pm I was surprised about Atlanta.

They had to make space for the ten day events in Canada, and Cincinnati.

by ti-amie

skatingfan wrote: ↑Fri Nov 10, 2023 12:15 am
ponchi101 wrote: ↑Thu Nov 09, 2023 10:03 pm Atlanta? That's a blow. That is a tournament with a lot of history and it is not as if Atlanta and all of Georgia are not tennis hotbeds.
It's a tough tour.

ti-amie wrote: ↑Thu Nov 09, 2023 11:33 pm I was surprised about Atlanta.
They had to make space for the ten day events in Canada, and Cincinnati.

Ah. Got it.

by meganfernandez

ponchi101 wrote:Atlanta? That's a blow. That is a tournament with a lot of history and it is not as if Atlanta and all of Georgia are not tennis hotbeds.
It's a tough tour.

Atlanta is Indy’s old tournament and it moved there in the 2010. Indy’s tournament had a lot of history - used to be the U.S. Clay Court Championships.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

by Fastbackss Hedge fund billionaire Ken Griffin is in talks to buy a minority stake in @F1Miami along with one in the Dolphins and Hard Rock Stadium, per @Business.

I have read different reporting on how large a stake. If large enough we can hope he doesn't have any aversion to tennis.

Screenshot 2023-11-24 at 2.30.30 PM.png

SIMPLE OUTPUT (Author and post)