The Stuttgart event has a limited field which means even many top female tennis players must look elsewhere to survive
The best players in the world grouped so tightly together is the ideal spectacle, but underneath the surface it also quietly demonstrates one of the most significant issues in tennis.Association as a governing body is to ensure that professional players have sufficient playing opportunities each week in order to earn money and attempt to progress in their careers.
For the rest of the top 100, the only options were to hope that enough players withdrew in order for them to make the 16‑player qualifying draw, to drop down to lower-level ITF events to compete for fewer ranking points and much less money, or to not compete at all. As a result, the vast majority of players ranked outside the top 32 are inactive this week.Photograph: Robert Prange/Getty Images
There are mitigating reasons for this empty week in the calendar. The Istanbul Cup, due to be held this week, was cancelled with organisers citing the devastating earthquake in Turkey. The WTA had minimal time to adjust. But this is merely part of a clear, unwelcome pattern. There will be just seven WTA tournaments in April and May compared to 12 in 2019. While the ATP offered up 12 tournaments this February, the WTA again had only seven events, including another week with only one event.
The expansion of the two events will have clear benefits – a longer tournament means increased gate receipts, exposure and more prize money. Top players, meanwhile, will receive the benefit of more days off between matches. For players ranked outside of the top 50, though, an early loss will mean they will have to wait around another nine days until they can play another top-level event again and earn another cheque.
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