From evidence of the first few weeks it is beginning to look as if the $15Ks are now redundant. Only two years after increasing the pay rate of the starter events from $10K to $15K they bring in a system that kills them off. I can't see Tennis surviving as a major sport for much longer if the powers that be carry out any more top down disorganisations of the game.
One of the 25ks last week was won by one of the players who got in on her ITF ranking in the reserved five places. So that's good and shows why the ITF ranking is still important.
The system will collapse if not enough countries host 15ks but and I'm not convinced about the quali draw numbers etc. but having a feeder tour doesn't seem that wrong to me.
For all the upheaval and at least initially many uncertainties to my mind it's not a question of not being that wrong. It has to in time be proved very very right.
I think the original aim was that the ITF circuit became a feeder tour and was not 'professional' and stopped streaming matches or scores and that official betting outlets were to be discouraged from offering odds. So that all professional matches on which there was a betting market took place between the top 750 players in venues where there would be sufficient funds to police them properly and that they would be between players less likely to be tempted by a bribe. Whether this happens in its entirety remains to be seen. I haven't seen anything which would suggest the betting market is pulling out of this new tour.
I can't see any $15K events scheduled in the UK for 2019. If this continues it is going to be hard for British player to even get an international career started. Isn't there a risk that players will try entering a few international events, fail to get in and then decide to give up trying and go off to do something else. From a health point of view we are supposed to be encouraging people to play sport, I can't see that this policy will help.
I can't see any $15K events scheduled in the UK for 2019. If this continues it is going to be hard for British player to even get an international career started. Isn't there a risk that players will try entering a few international events, fail to get in and then decide to give up trying and go off to do something else. From a health point of view we are supposed to be encouraging people to play sport, I can't see that this policy will help.
Yes Stu Fraser tweeted no events in UK at $15K level men or women in 2019.
Hmm, so much for accumulating transition tour points to help get into 25Ks that way. You can travel for these boys and girls. Well if you have the means ....
And got to save money anyway for 'in players' / multiple coaches get togethers in such as Florida.
We have often talked about GB selecting its elite players far too early, often largely from these who had a good early start, and not sufficiently allowing for late developers and now there seems even less chance for these late developers to get a pro career going through their results.
-- Edited by indiana on Sunday 20th of January 2019 10:38:44 PM
I can't see any $15K events scheduled in the UK for 2019. If this continues it is going to be hard for British player to even get an international career started. Isn't there a risk that players will try entering a few international events, fail to get in and then decide to give up trying and go off to do something else. From a health point of view we are supposed to be encouraging people to play sport, I can't see that this policy will help.
Indirectly this is exactly the same point that all three Murrays - Judy, Andy and Jamie - have criticised the LTA for this week, that they are only concerned with the top of the pyramid (a few potentially elite performers), and not its foundations and base upon which the top has to be built.