Thanks Beni..

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Thanks for posting the article Beni!!  Good to see that the WTA are starting to listen to the players concerns and are trying to address them, it's a step forward.

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MY NOLE!!!

I dont think Maria is very happy about the new schedule, it will severly hamper her 'other' more important activities.

She shouldn't be happy about it. So they make it easier for the Rome/Tokyo final fours to play Madrid/Beijing. Then further encourage participation by the top ten in two European tournaments and three American.

This just enhances the agenda WTA was already working--to refocus the women's game into the North American tennis wasteland and to support preferred European tournaments (plus Beijing) while they undermine others.

Zurich is probably dead, other European tourneys are staggering, and WTA is determined to destroy Moscow this coming year.

Any impact on the players' concerns is little but cosmetic. I buy WTA's "good intentions" about like I believe in the Tooth Fairy & the Easter Bunny.

 

 

IAre you sure those tour tournaments are psoted in the correct order? I think stuttgart comes after the US open, and other oturnaments are not in the correct order i think.

Well tis a 15 list tour tounaments list so lets hope she na play in all of them so she can make up the losts points of this year

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The 2009 Calendar is all twisted around. See:

http://www.sonyericssonwtatour.com/3/global/includes/TrackIt.asp?file=http://www.sonyericssonwtatour.com/2/global/pdfs/events/2009/TourCalendar.pdf

Just look how they've jammed the YEC back-to-back between Kremlin Cup & the Fed Cup final! The obvious intention is to cripple Russian participation in all three events. I think the top Russian players should suck it up & boycott the YEC. Expose the Tour for the farce it's become.

19 Oct Kremlin Cup - Moscow $1,000,000 32/32/16 FORTIS Championships Luxembourg - Luxembourg $220,000 32/32/16

26 Oct Sony Ericsson Championships - Doha 2009 $4,450,000 8/-/4

2 Nov Fed Cup Final

Yep, I'd say boycott the YEC, but it has to be all of them (Russians) and not just one.

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Yes, all of the top Russians. And that implies a lot of negotiation among them and their agents. (There's a lot at stake.) If they got it together, I think WTA & S-E itself would cave and reschedule. They couldn't stand the humiliation of half the eligible players shunning them. But this wouldn't work as bluff--the players would have to be ready to walk the walk the whole way.

paul_pipkin:

But this wouldn't work as bluff--the players would have to be ready to walk the walk the whole way.

hehehe, Maria already bluffed them once. 

 

 

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Anyone knows exactly what happens to the ranking points next year? I heard they'll sort of copy from ATP. And in the begiing of next season, all points will be doubled.

 Grandslam (2000), Premier Crown (1000), Premier Mandatory (700), Premier 6k, 7k and 1M(???), International(?)

I hope Masha takes advantage of these points and targets them bull's eye!

Nella:

golondz:

I can't wait to see her play again so I started to look into the future as wta roadmap will be implemented next year. Top 10 or not, Maria would play the big tournaments. I bet she'll come back strong and dominate the tennis world next year! Based on the Tour calendar, I'd like to see her play the following tournaments:

1.       Australian Open

2.       Dubai

3.       Indian Wells

4.       Miami

5.       Stuttgart

6.       Rome

7.       Madrid

8.       Roland Garros

9.       Wimbledon

10.   Los Angeles

11.   Cincinnati

12.   US Open

13.   Tokyo

14.   Beijing

15.   Doha

 

 

I would say Charleston and not Stuttgart, Toronto not Cincinnati, and want to add Moscow !  16 tournaments for next year ??!

I was going to say the same thing, except she won't play Rome because it's the week right before Madrid, she'll possibly play either Birmingham or Eastbourne, but that's not definite, and then possibly Moscow instead of Tokyo, but I don't know. She plays better at Tokyo (2009 it'll be outdoor hardcourts), but Moscow is in Russia....so hopefully Tokyo. So, that's 14-16 tournaments next year, plus Fed Cup and the exhibition in Hong Kong.

hot chica.

that would be cool if they doubled all the points for the tournaments

If you keep track of events on the Homepage, I think its pretty clear what Maria's tour plans are for 2009. 

A Tour of as many photoshoots as possible at 1 million dollars a session.   Tennis has quite obviously taken a backseat now, I think we will see her retiring next year if she has a few bad results, claiming that the shoulder just hasn't healed. 

Her Ego has gone to her head. Well why not.  Why should she sweat her butt off for the measly prize money when she earns $500,000 a week from promotions.

Philli:

If you keep track of events on the Homepage, I think its pretty clear what Maria's tour plans are for 2009. 

A Tour of as many photoshoots as possible at 1 million dollars a session.   Tennis has quite obviously taken a backseat now, I think we will see her retiring next year if she has a few bad results, claiming that the shoulder just hasn't healed. 

Her Ego has gone to her head. Well why not.  Why should she sweat her butt off for the measly prize money when she earns $500,000 a week from promotions.

OTOH, this time may lead into an era when she can engage in a primary focus on tennis. Masha potentially has a good five years ahead of her as a player, but we are in the long afternoon of the "superstar" windfall. However many dollars remain to be pocketed, she needs to grab them now because the opportunity may close in less than a year. I suspect she may be greatly relieved as the clelebrity demands fades.