[Volcana]

I copied the relevant portions of the rule from the WTA website.

• A 17-year-old may play 13 professional events (WTA Tour & ITF Women’s Circuit), plus the season-ending Championships plus Fed Cup plus 3 ex hibition/non-Tour events.
• At the ages of 15, 16 &17, if a player has earned her way into a Grand Slam by Direct Ranking Acceptance (Not a Wild Card) and is current with her Professional Development participation, then that Grand Slam is counted above and beyond the dose of tennis described above.
• At the ages of 16 & 17, a player who reaches a Singles ranking of 50 or better may be eligible to play up to 2 additional Tournaments at 16-years-old, and up to 1 additional Tournament at 17-years-old. Eligibility is based on meeting minimum criteria (detailed in 2004 rule book), including but not limited to a player being current with her

What that means in English is that Sharapova is currently at the AER limit. Memphis doesn't come off til the week of the Diamond games. Sharapova is in the Paris draw.​

Does she have an additional exemption, or is she just forfeiting the points? Or does she not get the points until Memphis comes off?

 

[mboyle]

she gets to play one additional event each year, as I remember.

 

[Missing_Hingis]

That's correct. She needs to be in top 50. Dinara Safina gets one extra too if she is sivler exempt.
It wont matter because she will be 18 soon, and even if it does, WTA will give her a break.

 

[pla]

I think WTA let her play because she turns 18 very soon and let's not forget she is a major competitor for every tournament she enters. I woudn't be shocked if she playes more than allowed .

 

[~CANUCK~]

As far as i can tell she is ok, since she has turned 17 she only has
Pan Pacif.
Key Bisc
Berlin Rome
Birmingham
San Diego
Montreal
New Haven
Beijing
Seoul
Japan Open
Zurich
Phila
which makes 12 events, paris is 13. I could be wrong though

 

[Missing_Hingis]

Key Bisc doesnt start until next month, that doesnt count.

 

[jacobruiz]

So Maria hasn't flagrantly disobeyed AER rules, the rules just allow a lot of tennis and can be bent at will to allow an extra tournament

Maria has been playing a lot but she is so determined and focused on tennis I believe it has not hurt her, at least yet. And I think when Maria feels like playing less tennis she will.

 

[mboyle]

That's correct. She needs to be in top 50. Dinara Safina gets one extra too if she is sivler exempt.
It wont matter because she will be 18 soon, and even if it does, WTA will give her a break.

No, I mean she gets even one more tournament beyond that, just because she fills seats.

 

[Missing_Hingis]

Yes, that too, but WTA specifically sets the rules for gold exempt players.
She gets to play one extra

 

[~CANUCK~]

So Maria hasn't flagrantly disobeyed AER rules, the rules just allow a lot of tennis and can be bent at will to allow an extra tournament

Maria has been playing a lot but she is so determined and focused on tennis I believe it has not hurt her, at least yet. And I think when Maria feels like playing less tennis she will.

She didn't disobey anything, she is allowed 14 tournies not including champs and slams. With paris she is on 13, so she is allowed one more until she turns 18

 

[~SunFlower~]

She is still following the rules.

That's correct, next stop at Paris is her 13th tournament

After Paris, she is allowed to play 4 more tournaments to the total of 17 tournaments but she plans to play 3 tournaments until she turns 18.

See attached, she applies to the 8th row in the chart and you can see why.

Hope it helps.

 

[Volcana]

She is still following the rules.

I don't think so. She allowed 13 + 1 for being in the top 50 + the YEC + the slams = 19


2004-02-16 Memphis 71 SF III
2004-03-08 Indian Wells 50 4TH I
2004-03-22 Miami 78 4TH I
2004-05-03 Berlin 72 3RD I

2004-05-10 Rome 89 3RD I
2004-05-24 Roland Garros 250 QF Grand Slam
2004-06-07 Birmingham 172 WON III
2004-06-21 Wimbledon 1022 WON Grand Slam

2004-07-26 San Diego 85 QF I
2004-08-02 Montreal 50 3RD I
2004-08-23 New Haven 1 2ND II
2004-08-30 US Open 92 3RD Grand Slam

2004-09-20 Beijing 102 SF II
2004-09-27 Seoul 112 WON IV
2004-10-04 Tokyo 137 WON III
2004-10-18 Zurich 310 F I

2004-11-01 Philadelphia 138 SF II
2004-11-08 Los Angeles 684 WON WTA Championships
2005-01-17 Australian Open 470 SF Grand Slam
2005-01-31 Tokyo 448 WON I

Guys, I'm no Steven Hawking, but that's TWENTY tournaments!

And she's playing in Paris, which would be 21. I don't think any of the top players care. But how do you hold the player ranked #350 from violating the rule if you don't enforce against the prominent player affected by it?

 

[~CANUCK~]

memphis and IW don't count and also miami may not count either depending when it finished. She was 16 while she played those. You only count events starting from the day she turns 17.

 

[Robbie.]

memphis and IW don't count and also miami may not count either depending when it finished. She was 16 while she played those. You only count events starting from the day she turns 17.

yes Miami was before her birthday as well. which means she has only played 17 tourneys at 17. She can play two more within the usual limits, and then she might get an exception.

 

[Volcana]

memphis and IW don't count and also miami may not count either depending when it finished. She was 16 while she played those. You only count events starting from the day she turns 17.

Doesn't that mean, in theory, that a 17 year old could play 30+ tournaments in a twelve months period? As long as when she was 16 and when she was 17 were below the individual age limits?

 

[ys]

I thought that once you are a GS champion, all this bullshit is brushed aside.

 

[~CANUCK~]

Doesn't that mean, in theory, that a 17 year old could play 30+ tournaments in a twelve months period? As long as when she was 16 and when she was 17 were below the individual age limits?

Yup, but then you wouldn't be able to much before or after, so doing that would be kinda stupid

 

[jacobruiz]

I don't think so. She allowed 13 + 1 for being in the top 50 + the YEC + the slams = 19


2004-02-16 Memphis 71 SF III
2004-03-08 Indian Wells 50 4TH I
2004-03-22 Miami 78 4TH I
2004-05-03 Berlin 72 3RD I

2004-05-10 Rome 89 3RD I
2004-05-24 Roland Garros 250 QF Grand Slam
2004-06-07 Birmingham 172 WON III
2004-06-21 Wimbledon 1022 WON Grand Slam

2004-07-26 San Diego 85 QF I
2004-08-02 Montreal 50 3RD I
2004-08-23 New Haven 1 2ND II
2004-08-30 US Open 92 3RD Grand Slam

2004-09-20 Beijing 102 SF II
2004-09-27 Seoul 112 WON IV
2004-10-04 Tokyo 137 WON III
2004-10-18 Zurich 310 F I

2004-11-01 Philadelphia 138 SF II
2004-11-08 Los Angeles 684 WON WTA Championships
2005-01-17 Australian Open 470 SF Grand Slam
2005-01-31 Tokyo 448 WON I

Guys, I'm no Steven Hawking, but that's TWENTY tournaments!

And she's playing in Paris, which would be 21. I don't think any of the top players care. But how do you hold the player ranked #350 from violating the rule if you don't enforce against the prominent player affected by it?

Volcana, I don't think you are thinking clearly on this one. The AER rules you are referring to limit the amount of tournaments from a player's BIRTHDATE one year until their birthdate the next year. For Maria that is 4-19-04 until 4-19-05!

Memphis, Indian Wells and Miami were all played when Maria was SIXTEEN and so they do not count!

 

[!!!--Duiz™--!!!]

Guys, I'm no Steven Hawking, but that's TWENTY tournaments!

That one is great!!!! :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[Volcana]

I thought that once you are a GS champion, all this bullshit is brushed aside.

The rulebook doesn't say that, but who knows? If I did, I wouldn't have started the thread.

To the rest of you, thanks for setting me straight on this.