Expectations and Administration
Last week, 8 top ranked Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) players played year end finals of Women’s Tennis in Singapore. The WTA global tour is the flagship of Women’s Tennis. In Singles and in Doubles all events lead towards WTA finals throughout the year. The Singapore event was very good and glamorous, with appealing Tennis. WTA has developed a good vision and they succeeded in achieving it.
The 2017 circuit was played in over 30 countries. It is not only for the top end of the Women’s competition spectrum. WTA does more and their events go down to the grassroot levels of professional Tennis, to nature players at every step up, until players reach the Top 100 and subsequently, to the Top 10. It is futuristic, promotional, paying and gives good prospects to the players.
Long Road
It did not happen overnight. Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) which encompassed Women and Men, started in 1972, with South African player Cliff Drysdale as president. Soon afterwards, the Women broke away, as their need was different.
In 1975, WTA was formed with American Billie Jean King at its helm. They had a dream and set up an effective system. Today, that WTA model is in its 4th decade and its history shows the innovation, inspiration, solid structure and boundless appeal it has. It gets revised, restructured and upgraded regularly, to support a number of players, no less than over 8,000 worldwide. They are a big contributor to sports and its economy of the world.
Vision and achievement
This year WTA Tennis in Singapore was a sellout. Every inch of it was appealing, including the size of the prize money of US$ 7 million. Apart from that, top ranked players will be collecting large bonuses for their round-the-year performances. Also, every player will collect something from every match played. It is an event with a mega rich purse.
There are National Tennis Associations in the world which are over 100 years. They are nowhere near WTA’s achievements. In WTA’s early years, questions were posed as to its validity. Forerunner of Tennis administration is the International Tennis Federation [ITF] and it is over 100 years old. They are left behind to do mere controlling aspects and a hand in Junior Tennis promotion. Women’s and Men’s Open Tennis are no more their realm. ITF did not come up with vision and got left behind.
Most of the national sports associations are confused and have no vision as to what their sport should be in 20 years from now. This is the light WTA and ATP has shown to the world, from which we should learn. They are Associations of the players and by the players. It is an unprecedented model in sports promotion. In many ways foolproof. Beneficiaries are players and not the administrators. The process of ‘vision and achievement’ has stopped in national sports promotion bodies, with non-playing administrators manning them.
Different ‘formation’ format
Our model of the sports association is from colonial times. This is of no use now. For that matter, in the last 30 years it has proved to be defunct in every country in which it existed. The core issue in the colonial model is that, at grassroot level the representation does not come from people with experience in high level sports. As a result, administration does not get upgraded due to lack of knowledge. Vision for the future is extremely low or nonexistent.
This has to change. At present, the interest of the representation could be elsewhere. To give a clue, we are ‘controlling’ and not ‘promoting’ as a sport administration should do. The controlling aspect is leading the administration completely in the wrong direction, making us historic and not effective at present or, in the future.
Thrilling Singapore Tennis
In the field of 8 Women players who qualified for the Singapore finals, 5 have been World No.1. Karoline Pliskova, Garbine Mugurusa, Venus Williams, Caroline Wozniacki were No.1 players. Along with them is the current No.1 Simona Halep. Their challenge is coming from 3 newcomers, Latvian teenage French Open winner Jelena Ostapenko, Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina and this year’s late spell performer France’s Caroline Garcia. This is the Singles.
The WTA has been working intensely with Doubles. Once again, giving players longer career prospects a top priority. In Singapore, there are 8 pairs in the finals. Doubles with 4 players on court is more entertaining at times, than Singles. Doubles brings out all court Tennis automatically. Over the years, skills needed for Doubles has changed and has no resemblance to the Singles skills. It is proving to be a challenge, even for a good Singles player.
Another usage of Doubles has been for match play experience for up-and-coming Singles talent. Many good players in the recent past come to Singles through playing Doubles first. Caroline Garcia, current No.8, is one of them. Meanwhile ‘WTA finals’ has become an awaited event and is immensely popular.
-George Paldano, Former int. player; Accredited Coach of German Federation; National coach Sri Lanka & Brunei, Davis-Cup, Federation Cup captain/coach– contact 94 77 544 8880 geodano2015@gmail.com –