Tuesday, February 12, 2008

APPEAR AND DISAPPEAR


We're all familiar with the scenario of a high profile player entering a low profile tournament and inexplicably suffering a 'bad' loss the first round.

Some enter because they have to fulfill their quota of tournaments specified by the ATP or WTA. But, sometimes financial inducements [out of sight to mere mortals] are given just to enter the tournament.

Shortly after securing the appearance of Rafael Nadal at the Stella Artois Championships in 2007 and 2008, tournament director Ian Wight recently conceded: "We are killing our game. It is the economics of the madhouse that a player can receive more than three times the prize money not for winning a tournament but just for turning up."

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