[DUlrich1227]

No-shows among top players a growing problem
By Douglas Robson, special for USA TODAY

SAN FRANCISCO — A virus has been spreading through the tennis community during the opening month of the US Open Series: withdrawalitis.

Just three weeks into the North American hardcourt season, a who's who of players has pulled out of events stretching from San Diego to Washington, D.C.

Stars who have left fans and tournament organizers out in the cold include Andre Agassi, Andy Roddick, Roger Federer, Serena Williams, Lindsay Davenport, Maria Sharapova and Justine Henin-Hardenne.

Nearly half of the top 10 men and women have pulled out of summer tournaments and are suffering from injuries ranging from mild, such as Sharapova's back strain, to serious, such as Marat Safin's left knee.

"It's definitely not pleasant news for tournament directors and fans," says Raquel Giscafre, the owner and director of the Acura Classic in Carlsbad, Calif. The list of absentees there this week includes No. 1 Davenport, No. 2 Sharapova, former champ Henin-Hardenne and Williams. The $1.3 million event is the WTA Tour's only Tier I event all summer.

What's behind the no-show epidemic?

layers point to the long and grueling season, which spans nearly 11 months and allows little downtime for battered bodies to recover. The depth of the game means fewer cakewalk matches, and more speed and power can take a toll on bodies.

Some say the quick change between the end of the French Open and the beginning of the hardcourt season puts enormous pressure on muscles and joints adjusting from clay to grass to cement in six weeks.

"I think people take for granted the difference in what's under your feet," says Davenport, 29, who retired in the second round of the Bank of the West Classic last week with a lower back strain she first tweaked in the Wimbledon final. The No. 1 then pulled out of the Acura. "When we switch surfaces, that's a jar to the muscles," she says.

Some players such as Williams simply have not recovered from ongoing injuries. The seven-time Grand Slam champ twisted her ankle in April and has not played since losing to unheralded Jill Craybas in the third round at Wimbledon.

Others have just had bad luck or needed a break after playing weeks in scorching weather. Americans Roddick (knee), Taylor Dent (exhaustion) and Mardy Fish (wrist) pulled out of the ATP event in Los Angeles last week after initially planning to play.

"It's unusual to have this many of the top guys at this point pulling out," says David Higdon, senior vice president of communications for the ATP.

To critics who say the season is too long, the game too powerful and there are too many events on joint-bruising hardcourts, Higdon notes that the number of events on cement is down from 51% in 2000 to 46% this year. What's more, the top-10-ranked men played an average of 18.8 tournaments and 69 matches in 2004, the lowest total since the tour began tracking these figures in 1990.

The injury bug is more "perception than reality," Higdon says.

Still, while only 3% of the tour's nearly 3,000 matches last year ended in walkovers or retirement, that's higher than the average of 2.56% since 1990.

Unlike other sports such as baseball and basketball, where it's certain a team will show up, or even golf, where a player is assured of participating in at least a couple of rounds, scheduling remains a major problem in pro tennis. Organizers never know if a top seed will be out in the first round or make the final. A quick loss also can motivate players to take a wild card to get more match play the next week, and a run of success can mean paring back to stay fresh and rested, as in Agassi's case.

That can be maddening for tournaments, which rely on marquee players to sell tickets, particularly walk-ups, and often use specific personalities in pre-event marketing materials.

"Frankly, it's something that needs to be addressed by the players, the tournaments and the ATP," says Legg Mason tournament director Jeff Newman. Newman says he understands five-time Legg Mason champ Agassi's decision to rest and miss his event, considering his age, but the sudden pullouts are tough.

One possible remedy is larger fines for non-injury withdrawal. Newman doesn't think that's necessarily the answer.

"I think it's more taking a look at schedules as a whole and making a decision as to which events players can participate in," he says. "If there are other events that are more of a question mark, they should wait to make an appearance via the wild-card process."

Players concede that to some degree they might bail on smaller events to be ready for major tournaments.

"I'm sure a lot of the girls, if they have a few little aches and pains, they don't want to take a risk for the U.S. Open," 10th-ranked Kim Clijsters says.

[naught33]

its funny you found that article because i was just thinking that same thing, that it seems like this yr more players are pulling out of tourneys or simply not entering them due to "injuries"....everyone probably just getting ready for the open, doesnt want to take a chance on an injury before it starts

[Buckery]

Players these days want more and more to make sure they're ready for Masters and Majors this is the problem.

Can't say I blame them considering their prize pools.

B

[naught33]

yeah i dont blame them either...they just want the majors and to defend their points they earned from last season...need more of an incentive to play this minor tourneys