[Jane Lane]

MOSCOW, January 30 (R-Sport) - The Russian city of Kazan never intended to host this season's WTA tennis championships despite appearing on the initial list of candidates, Russian tennis chief Shamil Tarpishchev told R-Sport on Wednesday.

The capital of the Tatarstan republic was only axed from a four-city shortlist this week, leaving Monterrey, Singapore and China’s Tianjin as the candidates to replace Istanbul for the season-ending event.

“Nobody filed a proper application, neither (Tatarstan President Rustam) Minnikhanov, nor anybody else,” Tarpishchev said.

“The city sports committee filed an unauthorized application and by accident, so initially we didn’t even want this tournament.”

Moreover, Tarpishchev claimed there was no financial incentive to organize such event in Russia.

“It’s a waste of money, it’s better to buy a tournament for a long time than to spend money on a single event which doesn’t have a lot of meaning,” Tarpishchev said.

Resources will be channeled instead into the annual WTA/ATP Kremlin Cup in October, the only Russian stop on the tour, he added.

“We have Kremlin Cup and the women’s event there is strong. There’s no sense in wasting over $10 million to stage one tournament.”

The WTA Championships feature the top 8 singles players and top 8 doubles teams of the season competing for $4.9 million in prize money.

However, the 64-year-old Fed Cup and Davis Cup captain insisted Kazan had all the required facilities for staging a big tennis tournament as the home of the University Games this summer.

“There are all the necessary facilities in Kazan and it is ready to hold competitions of such caliber, but for now we don’t need this tournament.”

How do you accidentally file an application?

[Drake Ramoray]

“The city sports committee filed an unauthorized application and by accident, so initially we didn’t even want this tournament.”

Really? How actually to file an application by accident? I thingk his words sound a little sour grape-y.

[Patrick345]

In related news Sharapova lost Olympics final 1 and 0, because Russia didn´t really want to win it.

[PetraReeMona]

Obviously can't take rejection or a loss

NashaMash = Tarpishev

[dragonflies]

Originally Posted by Jane Lane

How do you accidentally file an application?

“We have Kremlin Cup and the women’s event there is strong."





Tarpishchev is getting delusional saying these kinds of things. Moscov was a big Tier1 in the past where the field was as strong as any PM. Nowadays, it's more like an International "savior" for slumping players like Caro to get unnoticed precious points at the end of the season out of the lime light. No good leader should be satisfied with that.




“It’s a waste of money, it’s better to buy a tournament for a long time than to spend money on a single event which doesn’t have a lot of meaning""



Having a big tournament like YEC is not a burden if a good tournament organizer know how to get money from the sponsors, companies, fund from city, etc... It's not like Tarpishevs-like taking out the money from their own pockets. OTOH, tournament organizers would get a portion of money from sponsors and tickets sale. It's called " getting paid while doing your jobs". I'm sure the tournament directors in Singapore, Mexico or China don't spend their own money on the events either and instead gaining money from them.





Perhaps the main reason was Tarspichev couldn't find a a source of money? Umm, it would be hard to find a sponsor and getting money when you look down to one of the biggest events in your profession and appeared " grumpy" and bitter", perhaps?

[ozza]

How exactly is the Kremlin Cup strong either? None of the players that are already qualified for YEC are ever going to play there anymore.

[edificio]

Just as well, as they have terrible attendance at all Moscow tennis events. Shut it, Tarpi.

[dany.p]

Accidentally filed an application?

kremlin cup is a strong event?

so much delusion...

[Julian.]

[NashaMasha]

YEC is waste of money because it takes much of investment to organize it , but it's given to the one city just for a few years before the next rotation.

For those who believes that he told this only because we lost in this competition for YEC , he expressed the same opinion just after it was announced that Kazan was among applicants

[PetraReeMona]

Originally Posted by NashaMasha

YEC is waste of money because it takes much of investment to organize it , but it's given to the one city just for a few years before the next rotation.

For those who believes that he told this only because we lost in this competition for YEC , he expressed the same opinion just after it was announced that Kazan was among applicants

Of course he did!

[Mary Chain]

[ShiftyFella]

Originally Posted by Drake Ramoray

Really? How actually to file an application by accident? I thingk his words sound a little sour grape-y.

It's easy, anyone can file filled application on behalf of any city from any country. There were a form on WTA site and you filled and send it to their mail, that's it

[Bronx19]

Classic. WTA will slowly die outside of slams. Cant even watch it anymore.

[Londoner]

I wouldn't worry too much about this. It's not going to do too much damage, if any.

But I'm still not impressed with the current management of the WTA. They aren't focussing on increasing the Tour's profile. I know there were criticisms of the previous management but they seemed to have been more successful in that regard.