Everything Old is New Again
by Ken Kamlet
Sometimes, the more things change, the more they stay the same.
One thing that has remained constant, as the WTA Tour celebrates its 30th
Anniversary at the STAPLES Center with their season-ending Bank of America
WTA Tour Championships, the WTA players, officials and spokesman continue to
keep a stiff upper lip; even during the most uncertain times.
30 years ago, led by Billie Jean King and her contemporaries, the WTA
embarked on a mission to legitimize women’s tennis. By promoting a tour
independent of the men’s game and by rallying the support of sponsors and
fans worldwide, the WTA Tour has enjoyed a 30-year epic story filled with
on- and off-court drama, politics, rivalries and increasing riches and fan
base. As with any journey of this sort, the result has been a series of
peaks and valleys.
After enjoying much of the past few years of increased depth in the women’s
tour and a plethora of both new and established stars, the WTA Tour enters
this year’s final tournament in a curious position. The WTA Tour officials
remain enthusiastic, energetic and positive despite the loss of 3 major
players from this year’s event. Serena Williams, Venus Williams and Lindsay
Davenport all withdrew due to injuries (the sisters Williams also recently
faced personal tragedy with the sudden death of elder sister Yetunde Price).
In addition to these last minute absences, the WTA Tour also has seen several
major names leave the game either permanently or for long periods of time.
Anna Kournikova, still one of the most important marquee figures in women’s
sports, has been sidelined for most of the past 18 months with injuries.
Martina Hingis, both physically injured and mentally exhausted, has not
been seen on the tour since 2002 and has given every indication that she
is retired. Grand Slam champions Steffi Graf, Mary Pierce, Arantxa Sanchez Vicario,
Conchita Martinez and Monica Seles have all either retired or are seemingly fading fast.
And the tour’s brightest names, Venus and Serena Williams have played only
part time schedules for most of the past few seasons due to injuries and
other assorted issues and distractions. In fact, neither Williams has
played a competitive match since their dramatic Wimbledon final (won by
the younger Serena) this past July.
But Darrell Fry, a spokesman for the WTA Tour, assured On The Line Tennis
Magazine in a one-on-one interview that officials are anticipating a
dynamic, exciting and dramatic final tournament.
Fry points out that rarely, if ever, has the question of who will attain
the season-ending #1 ranking come down to the very last tournament. The
intensity of the rivalry of current #1 ranked Kim Clijsters and #2 Justine
Henin-Hardenne continues to escalate both on-court and off.
Clijsters remains, if just barely, the more consistent performer in the
regular tour events with strong results in singles and doubles week in and
week out and yet has the dubious distinction of being the first woman to
reach #1 without ever winning a Grand Slam singles title.
Henin-Hardenne, benefited greatly with a shocking semifinal choke by Serena
Williams in a controversial match at Roland Garros and then triumphed later
this summer at the US Open in the absence of both Venus and Serena Williams.
The Belgians’ off-court relationship has become increasingly contentious as
the pressure mounts on both players. In fact, Henin-Hardenne has spoken out
in recent interviews claiming that she and Clijsters were never particularly
friendly and that relationship has deteriorated, especially in the wake of
comments from both Clijsters and members of her camp. Most stinging to
Henin-Hardenne was an insinuation recently made by Kim Clijsters’ father that
Justine Henin-Hardenne may perhaps be involved with some kind of drug doping
issues. Clijsters has made it clear that she has lost patience with Henin-Hardenne’s
tendency towards gamesmanships, suspicious injury time-outs and excuses.
In addition to the #1 rank, the 2003 Tour champion will win a cool $1 million
and 30 dollars, the biggest paycheck a female athlete will have ever earned.
After leaving Madison Square Garden in 2000, the tournament blundered in a move
to Germany that resulted in hugely disappointing attendance and even worse
television ratings in 2001. A quick move to Los Angeles in 2002 seemed to
be better supported by players and television fans, but attendance at the
STAPLES Center was almost embarrassingly low.
Fry enthused that this year’s presale is already at a better pace than last
year. He also points to a major increase in local publicity and in added
number of extra events that should continue to generate interest and attendance.
In addition to a new round-robin format and shortened draw (only the top 8
players qualify; in the past the event featured the best 16), the WTA is
offering events such as a glamorous fashion show at the Fairmont Miramar
Hotel (starring key players such as the sisters Williams, Kim Clijsters
and Jennifer Capriati), round table discussions with players for the
media, a “Happy Hour” in the Tennis Village outside of the STAPLES Center
that will include entertainment and activities and a much anticipated Parade
of Former Champions on Sunday, November 9. All former champions have been
invited to attend. They include Chris Evert, Evonne Goolagong-Cawley,
Tracy Austin, Steffi Graf, Gabriela Sabatini, Monica Seles, Martina Hingis,
Lindsay Davenport and Serena Williams.
No doubt, one of the great highlights of this week’s event will be an
improbable appearance by the Tour’s most accomplished player ever. Martina
Navratilova, at age 48, becomes the oldest player (by far) to ever appear in
the main draw of the WTA Tour Championships after enjoying a great doubles
year that included winning a staggering 7 titles (with 3 different partners)
and an exciting return to the world top 10 in doubles. The appearance of
Navratilova certainly creates a wonderful bridge in showcasing the highlights
of the WTA Tour past and present.
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Last updated 15 March 2007
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