Sydney, Nice, Geneva, Eastbourne, Winston-Salem, and New Haven; these are just some of the several tournaments that take place during the week preceding slams. While they are a great viewing for the die-hard tennis fan, they may be the ultimate downfall for the player seeking grand slam glory.
Whenever a player retires due to injury or wears down in fatigue during a match, everyone is reminded that tennis players are human. They are trained to great heights but there is not player immune to fatigue or injury. One of the most common causes for these cases is overplaying, particularly during the week preceding slams. It is important for a tennis player to manage their schedule professionally to balance their ranking points and prize money with their health.
Playing the week preceding slams is a bad decision for players who are contending for the big titles. Of all the times to be fresh and healthy, a grand slam is on top of the list. Although players get days off in between matches when weather cooperates, the atmosphere of a grand slam generates extreme pressure for all of the players. Those who play events such as Sydney and Eastbourne waste valuable energy, both mental and physical, that they need during the latter stages of grand slam events. The desire for more ranking points and money can get the best of players, pushing them to enter these events.
The WTA in particular poorly organizes tournaments the week before slams, offering greater prize money and ranking points to those who pay. That is on top of the fancy appearance fee a lot of the top 10 players will get for playing. The current WTA warm-up event in Sydney offers 470 ranking points to the winner and over $100,000 in prize money. The ATP even on the other hand only offers 250 points and $72,000, an offer passed up on nearly all ATP players. One has to question the current actions of Simona Halep, currently in the semifinals of Sydney despite being open about an Achilles injury in the past few days.
Even if WTA players do enter tournaments like Sydney, all of the players enter it with a different intentions. While some may play the tournament with every intention to win it, there are the infamous tankers at the top of the rankings who will withdraw or intentionally lose a match. This completely blows open the draw and offers a great deal of ranking points to a weaker field, no disrespect to any of the players in the draw.
This is no plight against pre-slam tournaments; they are ideal for players who feel in good shape but need more match practice heading into the slam next week. The WTA however, must cancel Premier 470 events as they cause too many injuries, flame-outs, and withdrawals.
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