[Monica_Rules]

Instead of the constant negative comments lest get positive, what does the tour need to get better.

My first pick would be more exciting matches, there have been some in the past few years i've really enjoyed but too few really. I know you can;t just say to the players play better tennis but its would be a start.

 

[TheBoiledEgg]

get some proper TV deals

like all joint events, sell the event as one entity not 2.
if a TV company wants to buy the ATP coverage for IW and Miami, they got to pay for the WTA coverage too, like they do in slams.

 

[sipnsurfMurph]

Less whiny fans.

 

[BlameSerena]

get some proper TV deals

like all joint events, sell the event as one entity not 2.
if a TV company wants to buy the ATP coverage for IW and Miami, they got to pay for the WTA coverage too, like they do in slams.

I agree. I just think it needs to be more exciting to the casual viewer. TV deals, etc can help with that. I know the HERO campaign is a big deal, but not in the states. Unless someone else can attest differently. From where I'm sitting, in my middle America digs, there hasn't been one commercial, one billboard, one nothing about tennis, ATP or WTA.

 

[goldenlox]

They need better tv deals. That's for sure.
There has to be more womens matches on tv

If Henin is serious about coming back and staying on the tour for years, that's a big help.
Having the #1 walk away at 25 just makes the quality of tournaments weaker.

If Henin Sharapova and Clijsters are all in the 2009 USO draw, and all lookingforward to a full year in 2010, it's great for the tour.

 

[kiwifan]

Less whiny fans.

:worship:

Seems like it comes down to this: if Venus and Serena are winning majors the tour sucks. :devil:

So I guess the 'whiny fans' need two Europeans winning all the majors, then everything will be all right again.

 

[Volcana]

Instead of the constant negative comments lest get positive, what does the tour need to get better.

Players who can consistehtly bring their best game.

 

[Monica_Rules]

^
That is a definate. The top players now are too flakey.

 

[tennisIlove09]

It needs to regain the glory it had in the late 90's early 2000's.

What was happening then?
We had a FANTASTIC mix of players that were household names. Sanchez-Vicario, Martinez, Graf, Seles were winding down their careers. Davenport, Capriati, Hingis, Venus, Serena were all in the prime. Pierce, Kournikova, Henin and Clijsters were added into the mix. You had a solid, solid top 10 and even top 15 group of players.

Those players were dominate. They were regularly meeting in the 16's through Finals of the big events. Miami, the Slams. Where is counted. Because all the players were household names, women's tennis was big. TV wanted them because if you had 4 - 7 of those players, the chances were very good that we would get good match ups late in the events. And when one lost early it truly was an UPSET.

This sort of went away in 2003, IMO. Players like Seles, Hingis, Pierce were injured or not playing. Sanchez-Vicario, Graf, Martinez all retired. Venus and Serena became injured and missed 6 - 9 months.
You had all these 'new' players creep into the top 10, not by beating all of the greats that people knew of to get there, but by basic elimination of the previous top 10. In some ways, they got there because others left the sport of one reason or another. Still, good for them for getting there, but just being there one day out of the blue; it makes it hard for those players to A - generate publicity and B - generate interest in them. That's a large part of what happened, IMO.

How to get it back? Well, TV is a must. No one watches righ tnow, because there is nothing to watch.
Plus, you MUST some how promote the top 20 in women's tennis better. Players really only know Venus, Serena and maybe Ivanovic and Jankovic. Safina is nipping at #1 and no one really knows her outside the tennis world. That's not a good sign.

 

[Lolo8]

Maybe the game needs to stop producing Robotic Clones coming out of the Nick Bolatelli academy. There needs to be more contrast in the women's game. I would like to see more women play with a single handed backhand. More variety like dropshops and slices.Can anybody volley anymore? Today is none of that. Just a bunch of two handed backhand slow baseliners. We don't need glamour or sex appeal we just need better quality players.

 

[ilovethewilliams]

OK I have 5 ideas.

1: Top 16 seeds at slams should be placed on different sides of the draw to get the best possible matches in later rounds.

2: Mandatory fines/penalties for skipping a higher tier tournament without a valid reason. You skip a tournament like Indian Wells then you get fined the winners check plus exempt from the Next grand slam.

3: Free matches on TV

4: Moving the season ending tournament back to New York

5: COMBINE ATP & WTA tours.

 

[Sapphisto]

Less whiny fans.

:haha: I was just thinking that.

Maybe the game needs to stop producing Robotic Clones coming out of the Nick Bolatelli academy. There needs to be more contrast in the women's game. I would like to see more women play with a single handed backhand. More variety like dropshops and slices.Can anybody volley anymore? Today is none of that. Just a bunch of two handed backhand slow baseliners. We don't need glamour or sex appeal we just need better quality players.

Well said! I've posted about this before - Bollettieri has a lot to answer for, from the overall "sameness" of the players, to the grunts and shrieks, to the overwhelming predominance of two handed backhands and boring baseline play.

Mae West must be turning in her grave - too much of a good thing is absolutely dreadful, darling.

 

[Sapphisto]

...How to get it back? Well, TV is a must. No one watches righ tnow, because there is nothing to watch.
Plus, you MUST some how promote the top 20 in women's tennis better. Players really only know Venus, Serena and maybe Ivanovic and Jankovic. Safina is nipping at #1 and no one really knows her outside the tennis world. That's not a good sign.

Well, part of the problem is societal - we (and I mean society, it certainly isn't true for me personally) don't usually want to see female athletes who aren't also considered Babes.

Think about who makes a splash in women's tennis: Chrissy Evert (babe and all-time great), Kournikova (babe, not so great), Sharapova (babe when her makeup is well done, great). Dinara - not so much (even though I've seen glam shots of her that were truly stunning - I'm ashamed to say I didn't even recognize her at first). We can all think of other players who deserve the limelight and don't get it, and who will never get the sort of sponsorship deals that Sharapova is pulling in - not because they're not great players, and not because they're not fit, healthy, attractive young women.

Our society rewards women based on perceived Babe-ness, not athletic ability or sporting genius.

That needs to change, and it won't change while the sport's most avid fans spend as much time dissing players for their fashion choices as they do cheering for them on the court... in other words, we need to lead from the front, folks.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[BlameSerena]

Well, part of the problem is societal - we (and I mean society, it certainly isn't true for me personally) don't usually want to see female athletes who aren't also considered Babes.

Think about who makes a splash in women's tennis: Chrissy Evert (babe and all-time great), Kournikova (babe, not so great), Sharapova (babe when her makeup is well done, great). Dinara - not so much (even though I've seen glam shots of her that were truly stunning - I'm ashamed to say I didn't even recognize her at first). We can all think of other players who deserve the limelight and don't get it, and who will never get the sort of sponsorship deals that Sharapova is pulling in - not because they're not great players, and not because they're not fit, healthy, attractive young women.

Our society rewards women based on perceived Babe-ness, not athletic ability or sporting genius.

That needs to change, and it won't change while the sport's most avid fans spend as much time dissing players for their fashion choices as they do cheering for them on the court... in other words, we need to lead from the front, folks.

Just my 2 cents.

I know there are those who feel this way, but I want to give people the benefit of the doubt. If the only way tennis can pull in major viewership and buzz is through hot chicks then what does that say for the sport?

I think this is only true for a small sector of tennis viewers who watch for jolly thrills.

More than wanting to be aesthetically pleased, I think there is a great yearning for competitiveness throughout the world. We see at in Olympic games how much people crave the win and take pride in it, and I think that spirit (or at least hope) overrides anything else.

 

[RFSTB]

1. Get some motivational/psychological counseling for the top players. It's really frustrating to keep seeing them falling apart in big matches.

2. Have something akin to a Master's Series for the men's to tie-up the loosely strung together non-slam events, make them more consequential/meaningful. Make it mandatory for all top players to attend the series. Better yet, have a joint Master's series with the men's.

3. Better marketing of top stars, not as swimsuit models or glamourous sexpots, but as pro athletes. More actively promote international stars in the US. Encourage all non-English speakers to learn English, provide tutors/classes. Do profiles on them on TV and online WTA website, show us what they eat, how they work out, their lives off court.

4. Give the players a voice. Have some type of players union and have them elect a leader. Do profit sharing with all players. Make them feel like part of a whole rather than individuals looking out for themselves.

5. Since we need slam titles to legimitize a player's ranking/star status, have more slams. Add a 5th slam in March.

 

[Sapphisto]

I know there are those who feel this way, but I want to give people the benefit of the doubt. If the only way tennis can pull in major viewership and buzz is through hot chicks then what does that say for the sport?

I think this is only true for a small sector of tennis viewers who watch for jolly thrills.

More than wanting to be aesthetically pleased, I think there is a great yearning for competitiveness throughout the world. We see at in Olympic games how much people crave the win and take pride in it, and I think that spirit (or at least hope) overrides anything else.

I have to disagree, although I do appreciate the sentiment! (And as all who know me can attest, I don't mind getting some jolly thrills myself - it's just not what's important, and I appreciate the players for their athletic abilities and personalities more than for their looks.)

If it were only a small sector of fans, then the sponsors and the media wouldn't pay too much attention. We'd see people like Henin and Safina and Davenport in commercials for Canon digital cameras, for instance. We'd see the top seeds' matches, the most competitive matches (not necessarily the same thing) on tv, not just reruns of Maria's match* yet again.

(* not her fault and I'm not knocking her, I'm just using her as the most obvious example)

Nope, it really is a societal problem.

 

[Dodoboy.]

Serena, Venus, Maria, Ana, Sveta and Kim playing their best tennis

 

[BlameSerena]

I have to disagree, although I do appreciate the sentiment! (And as all who know me can attest, I don't mind getting some jolly thrills myself - it's just not what's important, and I appreciate the players for their athletic abilities and personalities more than for their looks.)

If it were only a small sector of fans, then the sponsors and the media wouldn't pay too much attention. We'd see people like Henin and Safina and Davenport in commercials for Canon digital cameras, for instance. We'd see the top seeds' matches, the most competitive matches (not necessarily the same thing) on tv, not just reruns of Maria's match* yet again.

(* not her fault and I'm not knocking her, I'm just using her as the most obvious example)

Nope, it really is a societal problem.

Points taken.
Like I said, I'd like to believe it is a smaller sector of fans, but maybe it isn't.
I have no definitive position, just acknowledging there are those who appreciate the spirit of competition.

 

[bobbynorwich]

Serena, Venus, Maria, Ana, Sveta and Kim playing their best tennis

Everybody playing their best tennis, not just a few.

 

[FionaZiYi]

The women's tennis tour is even not as popular as curling, darts and bull riding on Chinese TV, very ridiculous! Here's no live of women tennis at all - except some days of Grand Slams, and the recorded matches aren't showed on TV before midnight. I don't know why the headless WTA stuff treat Chinese market like this.