Hello again and sorry about the delay since my last post. This will be a quick post but just wanted to be give a thumbs up to Amelie Mauresmo.
The WTA's responsibility in regards to the tournaments that make up the tour are complex. Now, the WTA helps organize the whole calendar and among other things, tries to delegate its players, its stars around the world.
Of course, for grand slams, it's not even an issue, all healthy players show up and are more than ready to play. The problem arises for all other problems. Players who would consider themselves healthy to play a slam are not ready enough to play smaller events. It's not easy for the WTA to reconcile interests of the tour, of the tournaments and of the players.
Usually, Dubai is one of those events that usually does not create any problems. Top prize money, treatment unmatched by any other and important appearance money make it easy for the tour to fulfill it's requirements (those are set in proportion to the event category).
But this time around, things turned wrong. Both Australian Open finalists Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams withdrew at the last minute. Such events create big problems for tournament directors. How can you tell ticket buyers that the event will be as good as promised even through the two big stars of the event are not there? That's when they place a call to the WTA asking for it to intervene. And the WTA was able to fix things up this time. They got Amelie Mauresmo to show up in Dubai adding a marquee name to the draw. Of course, getting top players to come is usually done through important money "gifts".
Still, in this case, the WTA and Amelie Mauresmo did a big favour to the Dubai Duty Free event, its sponsors and fans.
Too rarely people congratulate the tour when it does well. In this occasion, I would like to do just that. Congratulations for fixing an event that is important for the present and the future of the WTA.Labels: Amelie Mauresmo, Dubai, Dubai Duty Free Ladies Open
# posted by Pierre : 10:40 AM
