PARIS - Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) chairman Etienne De Villiers acknowledged changes need to be made to the tennis calendar and sanctions could be taken against players to prevent fields at major tournaments from being depleted.
The head of men's tennis proposed the measures after world No 1 Roger
Federer pulled out of the Paris Masters, which started today, citing exhaustion.
The withdrawal of the dominant Swiss means the indoor event, which was also badly hurt by no-shows the last two years, is now without five of the world's top six players.
Paris suffers from being the last regular event in a gruelling season before the year-end Masters Cup featuring the top eight players in the ATP Race, to be staged from November 12 in Shanghai.
"I am both deeply disappointed and concerned by the depletion in the player field for one of ATP's most prestigious events," De Villiers said.
"Unfortunately this is the third year that withdrawals and injuries have hurt the event and the fans' opportunity to see all their tennis idols.
"This reinforces my determination to introduce meaningful change to the calendar, the structures, the incentives and sanctions needed to have healthy, motivated top players grace our top events."
De Villiers did not elaborate on the changes and sanctions planned, nor did he give a time frame.
Federer, who has never won in the French capital, misses the event for the third successive year.
"Now we have to ask ourselves questions and use all our weight to make sure decisions are taken," tournament joint director Alain Riou said.
World No 2 Rafael Nadal pulled out yesterday with a stomach muscle injury, joining world No 3 David Nalbandian, No 4 Ivan Ljubicic and No 6 Andy Roddick.
The highest-ranked player left in the draw is world No 5 Nikolay Davydenko.
Federer, Nadal, Ljubicic and Roddick have already qualified for the season-ending Masters Cup and probably all felt they needed a break before going to China.
"To organise the Masters Cup in China shortly after the end of the European indoor season causes problems," Riou said.
The official said Federer would not be sanctioned because the rules allowed him to miss two Masters Series a year and Paris was only his second no-show after Hamburg.
The tournament's other joint director, Cedric Pioline, did not blame Federer either but said measures were needed to make sure the top players entered the showcase events.
"The tournament organisers seem to have more obligations than the players," said Pioline, a former top 10 player.
"We need a system with sanctions and, having been a player, I can tell you that fines don't work. We need bans."
- REUTERS
PARIS - Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) chairman Etienne De Villiers acknowledged changes need to be made to the tennis calendar and sanctions could be taken against players to prevent fields at major tournaments from being depleted.
The head of men's tennis proposed the measures after world No 1 Roger
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