The Sony Ericsson WTA Tour is headed for a new era as Stacey Allaster takes control of the most prestigious female athletic association in the world.
What suggestions would you make as the Tour heads in a new direction? Share your ideas for improvement in this week’s edition of Open Forum Friday!
Allaster has large footprints to fill as previous chairman and CEO Larry Scott facilitated a landmark surge of new growth internationally and financially. His special project, the 2009 Roadmap, has now been passed along to Allaster as she attempts to safeguard the revamped Tour.
What new challenges will Allaster face as she assumes control? Does the ranking system need to be revisited? What suggestions or ideas do you have to offer the new Chairman and CEO?
Tell us your opinion in the comments below! Have a great weekend, everyone!
1) Strictly enforce time limits between points to keep action flowing and better test stamina 2) play let serves
WTA-Look at ACHAK,Vaidisova..the money is so good,they lack incentive to be consistent.Players will rise&flame out quickly
First, let’s get rid of on-court coaching. It’s ridiculous. It was bad enough when Justine Henin looked at her coach before and after every point, and it’s just downright embarrasing when the #1 player in the world keeps calling her coach during every break in non-grand slam events.
I think the Ranking system, while faulty, is fair, however the WTA tour needs to do a better job of explaining it to non-tour members. I get the general gist, however it’s confusing when people seem to be playing but are losing points when they shouldn’t be. It would clear the confusion as to why Serena is ranked #2, and why she may even lose that position if she fails to defend her US open title.
Justine never used or asked to use on court coaching. This is a fact. Serena, Sharapova, Kuznetsova etc… all did!
Get your facts correct!!!!
1. Change the ranking-system so that:
(a) Winning a Major carries so many points that it is impossible for a player to be ranked above another player who has won more Majors in the last 52 weeks.
(b) Points fade away gradually (according to an exponential-decay model) rather than coming off after 52 weeks.
2. Reinstate the Brighton-tournament in October, and give the BBC the rights to televise Birmingham, Eastbourne and Brighton on a free-to-air basis.
3. Scrap the rule by which players can be suspended for missing a Premier Mandatory tournament.
4. Allow any player to play any tournament she is ranked high enough to enter, even if a top player wishes to play an International instead of a Premier in the same week.
5. Publish the entry-list of every WTA tournament (including qualifying and next-in lists) at least seven weeks before the tournament, with no restrictions on who is allowed to view it.
6. Make grunting compulsory! ;-)
GREAT suggestions, everyone! I certainly second the idea of abolishing on-court coaching.
Andrew, that’s quite a thorough list! I know that several of those ideas would vastly shake things up, especially the entry list idea. Unfortunately, I don’t foresee that one happening in the future with too much financially at stake for the tournaments. I’m interested in point B of your first suggestion. How would an exponential decay model work?
Rick now you’re just lying. I never said Justine used on-court coaching, I said she always looked at her coach before every point. Before you attack a person on “facts”, read the statement correctly!!!
Go back and watch Justine’s matches. Serena has gone on record and said she hates on-court coaching and will only call for it when her opponent does, haven’t read that she did it yet, if you have evidence of this, by all means, let me know. At the 2007 Sony Ericsson Open when Serena was 6-0 down in the first set, she didn’t call her coach, yet when Justine had 2 match points, she was still looking at her coach. My point is not to attack Justine, my opinion is that on-court coaching in general, should be abolished.
Exponential-decay model: after a certain period of time – called the half-life – a player’s ranking-points would be worth half of what they were when they first went on.
After twice that period had elapsed (from the start), they would be worth a quarter of what they were initially, after three times that period had elapsed, they would be worth an eighth of their initial value, after four times a sixteenth, and so on.
e.g. Suppose the half-life were a full year, and a player gains 1024 ranking-points from some tournament. One year later, those points would be worth 512 points, two years later, they would be worth 256 points, three years later, they would be worth 128 points, and so on.
The points would keep getting halved at a linear rate of time, but in a continuous manner (albeit observed at discrete intervals, i.e. when the rankings are published each week). For instance, after six months, the points would be worth about 70% of their initial value.
Ranking-points would thus decay quite quickly at first, and then more and more gradually, so that recent form would be heavily rewarded, but old results would still have an impact too, and wouldn’t come off all at once if the player failed to defend that result one year later.
It’s an attempt to model the idea that form is temporary, but class is permanent.
Can someone please explain this relentless pathological search to diss Justine Henin? She’s retired and was a great player. Alot of tennis legends like McEnroe would love to dearly see Henin back in the mix of the tour.
The problem with the WTA that needs the fix is the general attitude of selfish apathy as displayed by the current top 10.
If you can’t respect fellow players, how can we the tennis fans care about the WTA?
The problems with the WTA besides classless current top 10 players is that former CEO Larry Scott’s attempt to broaden the appeal of the women’s game has taken to the lowest common denominator – SEX Appeal.
Tennis is a game, and the “Hotness” factor wise a side dessert, not the main dish. The mass market selling has lured young teenage boys, and the wrong type of fans. We can see it in the tennis boards which are filled with bikini pics, and teenagers. The smarter, and perhaps paying tennis viewer have left to fill the seats of ATP events.
To Improve women’s tennis. We need to get back to the game of tennis. The skills and enjoyment of the skills of a player.
Andrew’s suggestion for changing the point system merits consideration; it would certainly make the rankings more consistent with the actual winning record of the players.
I also think the issue of the players grunting during matches should be addressed. My husband and I now watch some matches with the TV on “mute” so we don’t have to hear the annoying screaming. I believe it’s ridiculous that a player is allowed to scream while points are being played, while a fan is expected to sit in perfect silence at the same time. The women making the most noise (Sharapove, Azarenka, etc) don’t do it all the time, so it doesn’t HAVE to be a part of their game – it’s just gamesmanship, plain and simple!
Stacey Allaster brings knowledge of the power and opportunites of new media such as the internet.
She has already shown her authority by not only commenting on the ranking issue but addressing Serena and Dinara, publicly and unequivocally.
So, I wish her good luck in her new role.
Thank you, JJ, and anyone else who abhors the despicable display of gamesmanship in the “scream factor”! Certainly, they do not HAVE TO scream and shriek, the decibels varying in accordance with their emotional barometers. It is DISGUSTING. I for one do not care much for the womens game anymore. You should be begging Justine to return to give the game more ‘class’ as others mentioned. Kudos to Carla Suarez-Navarro who also has a more classic, effortless game; help her along. THE WORST THING THAT HAPPENED TO OUR BELOVED SPORT WAS THE HAILING OF THE ‘TWO-HANDED’ SHOT AS A
GREAT GIFT TO THE GAME. AS A RESULT WE NOW HAVE SCORES OF GIFTED ATHLETES, MANY WELL OVER 6 FEET TALL, ADDICTED TO IT AND SUFFERING THE THE CONSEQUENCES IN A MUCH GREATER TENDENCY TO CHRONIC JOINT, AND BACK INJURIES. THE ‘BRUTE FORCE ELEMENT’ IS SO PERVASIVE THAT NEWCOMERS TO THE GAME WOULD NOT KNOW ABOUT IT’S VARIETY AND SUBTLETIES WERE IT NOT FOR PLAYERS LIKE THE INIMITABLE ROGER FEDERER. FINALLY LET’S GO AHEAD AND TEST FOR STEROIDS MORE ROUTINELY AND BREAK THE STEROID TENNIS SCANDAL WIDE OPEN AND BE DONE WITH IT. ANYONE EVER RESEARCHED THE LONG TERM SIDE EFFECTS OF THAT SLEAZY POISON???
A rule against grunting would be a great shame, because:
(a) Grunting is music to my ears. It’s fun, and it shows that the player is making an effort.
(b) A rule against grunting could ruin the performance of certain players if they had to worry about their grunting. Monica Seles was railroaded into playing the Wimbledon 1992 final without grunting, after her two previous opponents complained about it and she was crucified by the British press.
The bottom line is that grunting should be tolerated, and if you don’t like it, wear earplugs.
As for sex-appeal, there’s no reason why the discerning fan can’t appreciate a player’s beauty and tennis-qualities at the same time.
Looking at off-court photo-shoots is just another part of the joy of following tennis: to see these girls in a different light after admiring them on the tennis-court.
Andrew, wow, that is a fascinating proposal. I’ve never heard this come up as a possible solution, but I see the merit of performing consistently over time, especially at the majors.
My only concern is that I think it might be a bit complicated for the casual fan. The current ranking system is a bit confusing, but at least it is a little easier to predict based upon a player’s results at the tourney a year prior to that. It could get somewhat confusing if having to take into account multiple years results.
As for the grunting, personally I think tennis has far bigger problems to address, such as injuries, schedules, and dealing with the recession.
Two Posters above got it Bang on! Get Justine Back…end of! The players should be made to watch Justine,s Lifetime achievement vid.on Youtube.They would see a Sophisticated,Cool and Classy Lady Dressed simply in a neat Black dress with Black shoes{Heels just the right heught}and little pearl studs in her ears{Serena take note}Thats the Class Justine brought to the court,as well as breathtaking Tennis..And thats what we need now!
I love how Andrew Broad has given this topic such careful consideration. And I couldn’t agree more – a change to the ranking system should be Stacey Allaster’s top priority for restoring credibility to the WTA Tour. At the moment, the system is not working, and it’s become somewhat laughable among both fans and media (and Serena).
However, some things need to be noted. The first is that there is never any talk of a problem with the ATP rankings. However, I read recently that had Rafael Nadal played at Wimbledon and reached the semifinals – a plausible scenario – he would have remained No.1 despite Federer winning the title. That would have meant that Federer held three major titles (2008 USO, 2009 FO and 2009 Wimbledon) while still ranked No.2 – exactly the same scenario for which the WTA Tour has been chastised. The ATP Tour should consider itself extremely lucky to be spared this equivalent embarrassment.
I looked at Safina and Serena’s ranking points since Wimbledon 2008 (the 12-month period) and found that Serena has played 15 events and Safina 19 (dividing both players’ points total with their number of tournaments played reveals that Serena would be No.1 – by the barest of margins). Despite the current system rewarding quantity over quality, the duo’s tournament appearances and divisible points totals do not differ greatly. Interestingly, Safina has also played just one event more than Serena in 2009, yet possesses a significant lead in the Race to the Championships – the quality vs quantity argument doesn’t really hold up in this instance.
This is because outside of the majors, Serena has been unimpressive. Aside from her trip to the 2009 Miami final, she has failed to progress beyond the semis in any event. In the last 12 months, Safina’s resume includes 10 finals appearances (including twice at GS’s) and five titles (four of which have been prestigious Premier events). Serena has really only played decent tennis for six weeks in the last year – it just so happens that it was all packed into the US Open, Australian Open and Wimbledon fortnights. Safina’s overall consistency and frequent good performances must warrant some recognition.
But at the end of the day, a person who can’t cut it mentally on the game’s grandest stages probably doesn’t deserve to be crowned No.1. This problem can be averted with two easy steps:
1) Increase the points awarded for winning a major.
For all the talk of weighting Grand Slams more heavily, a problem has arisen – GS finals are therefore weighted heavily, and players who make finals can benefit handsomely. It’s no good just reaching heaps of GS finals (a la Safina, Clijsters) and using those points to leap to No.1. You need to prove you can win the biggest prizes of all in order to rightly lay claim to ‘Best in the World’ status. I believe the number of points for winning a GS should be increased from 2000 to 2500. Points for making a major final should remain at 1400 (interestingly, Serena would still lag behind Safina’s points total, even after the addition of 1500 points for her three major titles).
2) Re-introduce the average system.
This involves dividing the player’s total points by the number of events they’ve played in the previous 12 months (as outlined above). While the Serena-Safina case is an anomaly, this system definitely rewards quality over quantity. It renders ineffective the tactic of playing millions of tournaments to bolster one’s points total, or using good results to off-set bad ones – players must play well all of the time to ensure that bad results do not hurt their ranking.
Andrew, your exponential decay model is really clever and I really like the idea. However, if players’ points for a particular tournament result keep decreasing at a linear rate but are not removed from the player’s points tally, then conceivably they could have a Wimbledon result from six or seven years earlier still counting in their ranking. It’s hardly relevant by that point. I think 12 months is a good period of time within which to calculate a player’s ranking, particularly for fans, who would find this system easier to follow.
Under my proposed system, Serena would unequivocally be ranked as the world’s best player. Safina would be number two. For all of those who claim both the Williams girls should sit atop the WTA tree, this system has Venus at No.3. She no longer holds any major titles, and based on her performances in the last year, in no way deserves higher billing than the Russian.
OK this essay is over – take note Stacey!
With regards to Justine, Chidi, a lot of players look at their boxes, which contain their coaches, before each point or often. Ivanovic does it, Novak often does it. Murray often does it. It doesn’t mean they are getting coaching. Sometimes it is just for support. I am not saying I know for sure but just looking at your box does not mean cheating.
Also with regards to ranking points. Serena got 6000 points for the last three majors after Wimbledon this year. That is a lot of points. But tennis is not just playing majors or just winning majors. It is respecting the tour and trying to win other tournaments. Working hard. Although Serena played tournaments before Miami, she went out in the first round of three clay tournaments, once citing that she was protecting her knee for Roland Garros. I don’t think that is an excuse for not giving your all or playing through some pain. The thing is when the majors come around there seems nothing wrong with her knee/leg. She even responded “possibly” to a question as to whether the new rules which penalize for not showing up at a committed tournament were made because of her dubious pull-outs. Maybe she plays well at majors because she gets to rest a day. The doubles don’t count because as Serena admits its just like a practice for an hour or so. Ranking points should reflect respect for the tour. The great players did not just win majors, Graf etc won lots of other titles also to stay at #1. Once you win some majors, you don’t keep getting points. Serena will have to defend the points at US, AO, and Wimby and if she does will not get additional points. Federer, Nadal, Murray-all play many other tournaments and win many tournaments. I think the ranking system is just fine especially given the fact that at the majors, women don’t have to play any differently than they do otherwise except to get a day off. Men have to step up physically and mentally by playing 5 sets.
Also you might look at the ESPN tennis page article at http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/tennis/columns/story?columnist=tandon_kamakshi&id=4350875 eabout the state of the game.
Venus is quoted after a question of Venus drubbing Dina.
“Wasn’t it a little embarrassing for the tour, Venus was asked.
But she wasn’t having any of it. “I respect Dinara Safina immensely, and I think you should, too,” she replied coolly.
This was in response to a question
I don’t believe I ever said Justine or any other player was cheating, Sunny. This is the exact reason why I do not comment a lot, statements taken out of context. Let me repeat again, I am against on-court coaching. It’s one thing to look at your family and coach for support. The way Justine did it irritated the heck out of me, the way Serena reacts when she isn’t playing well irritates the heck out of me, the way Ivanovic pumps her fist after every single point irritates the heck out of me. I used Justine as an example of things that irritate me. My point again, is that I am against on-court coaching. The topic is how would you change the wta tour, and I said I would eliminate on-court coaching. Sheeesh!!!
And in response to your comments about the ranking system, Sunny, I agree it should be kept the way it is. The rest of the tour should be respected and supported and Serena should recognize that. However, I think it’s low when you attack her injuries or her hesitancy to play “through” the pain. We are talking about a knee joint pain are we not? If she wants to pull out to save her best for the grand slam why should you or anyone else question it? Serena has missed lots of slams in the past – check the Wta record. She’s always played, since she came on the tour, a limited schedule. Why didn’t Nadal play through the pain of his tendinitis to defend his ranking points in Wimbledon? From the very beginning Serena have always had to deal with injuries, but rather you want to diminish her bringing her best to the slams and term her injuries “dubious”. For that matter if she plays well at slams because of the day of rest, why aren’t the other players as well? they have the same day of rest. Your comments are very interesting, I think.
Another suggestion to changing the Wta tour. Why don’t we give a week off before grand slams to all players since they cannot think for themselves? Wozniacki played every week for like five weeks right before the french open, and did she do well at the slams? Nope. Jankovic played almost every week for the last 2 years to get to the top,and where is she now? hasn’t gotten past the 4th round at every slam, not to mention haven’t gone far at other tournaments.
Chidi,I am sorry if I misunderstood the thing regarding Justine. It was when you said that she kept looking at her box that I wasn’t sure whether you were just talking about on-court coaching. SO I apologize if I didn’t get it right. I do agree with getting rid of on-court coaching. It makes the women look bad as athletes especially when people look at both tours. I have been absent from the comment section also because of having been treated unfairly. So I really do apologize if you think I did the same to you. Cheers!
Chidi, With regard to the “dubious” remark about Serena, those were not my words. It was a question put to Serena. To paraphrase-do you think that the WTA rules about commitment were made because of your dubious pull-outs. Serena responded, yes, maybe, I guess and/or possibly. That is what I was going by-an article on Tennis.com or ESPN tennis page or many of various tennis news pages and blogs that I read. The person who talked with Serena was a respected tennis “journalist”. So I wasn’t calling her bailing dubious. Rafa may not have played thru to Wimbledon but he played his best at Roland Garros. He also limped through the final of Rotterdam barely walking. As Federer said after winning Wimbledon with regards to Nadal not being there, “injuries are part of the game.” Sometimes you are blessed with good genes and sometimes you do take care of yourself. As you know, I like the Williams’ but I was disappointed in Serena for not staying in shape. Davenport, after her knee surgery, hired a nutritionist to help her stay fit so she wouldn’t gain weight and could go right into playing. Bringing extra weight on the court is bound to hurt the knees especially when they are already hurt. I am not saying I know the situation with Serena but those things are a possibility. It is often said that the way Rafa plays as opposed to Federer has not helped his knee. I hope I haven’t offended you again. I am not getting on Serena’s case. I just would have liked to stay fit like she was earlier in her career after the knee surgery. I am just trying to figure it out. I respect her play, maybe that is why I talk about the situation. I would like her to really dominate. Well, someone! Ha-ha.
PS Roddick has done wonders by dropping 15 pounds. And I know when I played junior varsity tennis that losing weight helped the problems with my knees
It’s OK Sunny, believe it or not, you’re one of the few commenters I like. You’re very polite and put your points across in a respectful way. I try to defend all players, and I really do not like some players, but that’s what being a fan is about. I simply feel that a lot of people are too hard on Serena, for whatever reason. I truly believe that Serena tries to stay fit, at least these last few months. She probably didn’t in the past, but now she knows what the competition is about. If she wasn’t fit, she certainly would not have lasted through almost 3 hrs of play against Dementieva in Wimbledon, and turned around and played doubles and still win both championship matches on Saturday. However, some people just simply have problems staying a certain weight, no matter how hard they try. I believe Kuznetsova is fit, but she’s thick too, and so was Davenport. No one says Kuznetsova should go lose weight.
I enjoy that we can debate Sunny, cheers!!!