By Bill Scott Sep 3, 2008, 19:14 GMT
New York - The WTA will adopt a carrot-and-stick approach with women's players, increasing their off-season while coming down hard with sanctions for stars who miss a new series of four required events, CEO Larry Scott announced on Wednesday.
Scott said that the streamlined 2009 calendar with 54 tournaments in 31 countries will offer record prize money of more than 86 million dollars, including a rise to 4.5 million at the season-ending championships in Doha.
But there will be severe financial punishments - and possible suspensions - for Top 10 performers who fail to play the obligatory Premier events in Indian Wells, Miami, Madrid and Beijing.
That rule is likely to first be tested by Venus and Serena Williams, who have not played Indian Wells in the Californian desert since they were booed in 2001.
'They both said they're not planning on playing Indian Wells, so they will be subject to the same rules as every other player,' said Scott.
'In order to avoid suspension they will have to be available to do ... market appearances, promotional activities as designated by the tour in consultation with the tournament.'
The activities can be either during the tournament week or at another time, he added.
The sanctioning body will also end the season by late October, offering an off-season of up to nine weeks. 'That is two more weeks than what we have today,' said Scott, a former ATP official who has headed the women's side for five years.
'Traditionally players were required to play 13 tournaments on top of the Grand Slams. That number will be down to 10 tournaments next year,' said the official, who added that elite players will be limited as to how many smaller, or 'international,' tournaments they can play.
'We want them playing on the biggest stages.'
The WTA will shift the September Bali event into early November, positioning it as a year-end final for up to a dozen international event winners who do not qualify for the elite Doha championships.
'If you play in Doha, that's your end-of-year season championship. But if you didn't qualify for Doha and you won one of those international tournaments during the year, we'll hopefully see those players in Bali,' said Scott.
In an effort to coordinate more closely with the men's ATP, nearly half of the WTA events will be either combined with men's tournaments or be staged back to back.
Scott said the WTA plan 'will see the strongest women's professional tennis product in the sport's history.
'Fans will be able to watch more stars and rivalries on the game's biggest stages, and follow a shortened and streamlined season that unlocks the full value of women's tennis.'
Scott also said that starting in 2010, his body will institute a revenue-sharing plan between players and tournaments, said to be the first of its kind in an individual sport.
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