What's A Tournament Director To Do?

by Savannah

She made it official today. One forum featured rumors for almost a week that Maria Sharapova had withdrawn from Dubai. There was no official source for the rumor but it seemed better than the "who is sleeping with whom?" stuff where it doesn't matter that the rumored liaisons are a publicist's wet dream or the real thing. The forum posters speculated that Ms. Sharapova had been off the official entry list for some time but that her name was still being used to sell tickets.

When Maria made the official announcement on her web site within the last 24 hours it became okay to talk about her dropping out. I didn't expect the second withdrawal – Serena Williams. Sharapova may put some butts in the seats but it was the other woman, #81, who would really bring home the beef. (I would have said bacon but Dubai is Muslim emirate.)

Maria cited the hamstring injury she apparently suffered at some point between Melbourne and Tokyo which caused her to retire during her match against Ana Ivanovic amid much cursing and bizarre behavior from her and her coach. Serena, who withdrew from Bangalore with the flu is still suffering the after effects and does not feel strong enough to play in Dubai.

I'm sure the TD was up nights having wet dreams about a final featuring Sharapova vs. Williams. After Sharapova withdrew, he dreamt of Henin vs. Williams. Instead he has a potential Henin vs. Hingis final. And Henin is rumored to withdraw, which would decimate this field if it proves to be true.

Dubai might become a Tier 1 event. The appearance fees paid out here, said to be $500,000 per top player, usually assure a stellar field. What is happening in tennis that would make the marquee players pull out despite the lucre offered by the event organizers? Are all of these withdrawals being caused by real injury or sickness or is everyone focusing on the Slams and Tier 1 events? There's a story that John Roddick, when bidding Serena good bye in Melbourne, asked her if he wouldn't see her until Roland Garros. I'm sure the tournament director at Dubai heard this story and scoffed. He's got a pretty good field left and fans will be interested in seeing if Justine Henin can close the gap between her and Maria and take the No. 1 spot at some point during the winter hard court season in the States.

But Henin is not a woman who draws crowds to matches. Her less than stellar record when it comes to sportsmanship turns off many fans and despite the sympathy sent her way after the breakup of her marriage, people don't pay to see a sympathetic figure. They want to see ball pounding, mind numbing Big Babe Tennis. By no stretch of the imagination is Henin a Big Babe. And other than Martina Hingis none of the other women will have fans hanging from the rafters in Dubai. Short of holding a gun to a player's head in the form of heavy fines, what can the WTA, ITF and Tournament Directors do to ensure the best of the best appear at the events they've committed to? I am of the opinion that if players are injured they have to do what is best for them. If the player is suffering from brain fart-itis does that mean he/she should withdraw from events until they get themselves together?

Roadmap to 2010

The "roadkill" changes, as fans call them, aren't even in effect yet. The WTA plans to initiate a two-tiered main tour. The big events - Miami, Indian Wells, The Four Slams, all of the Tier 1 events - stay in place. The smaller events, and as of now Dubai is a Tier 2, will suffer as the women at the top will play where they'll get the most points and money. I put money second because apparently that isn't enough to secure the top women's appearance. Durban South Africa has a challenger event that is in the running to be upgraded to a Tier 1. Events such as Amelia Island are in danger.

What seems to be forgotten is that the average fan can't afford to travel to Melbourne, London, Paris or New York to attend a Grand Slam. Fans report that Melbourne is the most fan friendly Slam with moderately priced food. At the US Open, I paid six bucks for a burger that resembled a hockey puck and three for a bottle of water. After shelling out big bucks for upgraded seats, I couldn't afford to use my pass to the US Open Club where I'd have the luxury of paying bigger bucks for a steak or to eat at a buffet where most of the food is not part of my diet. Many fans save and go to local events where the Big Boys and Girls are likely to show up. Most people thought that the "roadkill" changes would be seen gradually. I think we're seeing them already.

This is not to disparage any of the women who will play Dubai. They've all worked hard and some of them have been playing very good tennis lately. Jelena Jankovic has applied to play. She is a rising star but she's not Serena or Maria. Jelena, Nicole Vaidisova and a lately resurgent Ana Ivanovic are the future. They're not "stahs" yet.

So back to the poor guy in Dubai (poor being a relative term of course). His event went from "A" list to "B" list and there is nothing he can do about it. I think about that guy in England who bitched and moaned about paying appearance fees which he thought were nothing short of extortion. Here's a guy in Dubai who is throwing money at the stars and they're still not coming to his party. He's got a woman who many feel is "the real number one" in Justine Henin, and another woman in Martina Hingis who went from legendary teenaged player to early retiree and is now moving towards the top of the sport again. If he can't get the marquee names to show up, what happens to the man or woman running Amelia Island? Last year's Canadian Open suffered the same fate as Dubai.

Please let me say again I do believe that if players are sick or injured they should not play. Do tennis authorities have to have one of their medics dispatched to a players home to make sure they're really sick or to confirm an injury? I hope it doesn't come to that but if the trend continues, the tournament directors, and the fans, will demand change.

Related Article:
Sharapova and Serena withdrawals highlight tour crisis