don't  like it at all

favours the top players i think and gives less of a chance for players to spring a surprise.  also, I imagine who goes through may sometimes be decided on "game difference" which I think is a bit silly to be honest! 

will also lead to a fair few meaningless matches, eg if A beats C, B beats C, then the match between A and B is almost meaningless!

dunno how it will affect qualifying either, and how they will do points.

also now Newport is 24 man event, so ppl like boggo will have less of a chance of getting in

like the sunday start idea.

-- Edited by goldenboy at 10:15, 2006-10-26

goldenboy wrote:

---

will also lead to a fair few meaningless matches, eg if A beats C, B beats C, then the match between A and B is almost meaningless!

---

I don't understand this. The format they are introducing is for groups of 3, so in the example above, A and B are fighting for the right to go through to the knockout stage, surely.

I don't much like this idea of introducing RR, and I too would like to know how it affects qualifying, points etc. I still feel that this will be detrimental in the long run, favouring as it does the higher-ranked players and making it harder for somebody to make a breakthrough. I sincerely hope it never becomes the norm - 13 tournaments in a year I can just about stand.

How will the Sunday starts work, though? If the tournaments the week before don't end until Sunday and these tournaments start the same day, I can foresee some confusion and almost completely impossible situations logistically!



-- Edited by Madeline at 12:34, 2006-10-26

however,the ATP officials seem very determined to make some changes and with players like Rafa being the most vocal supporter, it is unlikely they will abandon this format in the future

Players welcome round robin:

A round robin format designed to keep players active and organisers in business will be tested for the first time at the Next Generation Adelaide Tennis International next year.

Breaking with decades of knock-out format tradition, the men's ATP Tour has opted to try three different round robin approaches at 13 events in 2007, and Adelaide's tournament will be the first.

Players have long complained of the cut-throat nature of tournament play, particularly early in the season when they are struggling to regain touch, and round robin events are seen as the answer.

"I think this is a great idea," said world No.2 Rafael Nadal.

"Finally we really move forward and we do something really good for our sport.

"This will be good for our tournaments, for us the players and especially for fans and television since they will be able to have and see their favourite players more than once."

Organisers, too, have fretted over the early departures of the big name seeds who bankroll events where the fight for the title is generally a secondary concern behind the drawing power of the players.

"As one of the opening tournaments of the tennis year, we believe the Next Generation Adelaide International is perfectly placed to pioneer this initiative," said tournament co-director Peter Johnston.

"The tournament's fans will receive fantastic value for money, with the opportunity to see the top players playing more than once.

"We can now showcase the game over eight days beginning on a Sunday in a format where every match counts."

The Adelaide event will feature a 32-man main draw as usual, but the path to the quarter-finals will be different to that of past years.

Starting on Sunday rather than the traditional Monday beginning, the tournament will see a 16-man play-off, featuring four qualifiers plus the 12 lowest-ranked direct entrants.

The eight winners will then go through to a 24-player round robin draw, with eight groups of three players ensuring each participant gets a minimum of two matches.

The best-performed player in each group will then go through to the quarters, where the knock-out battles will resume.

How will the ranking ponts work?

I think the Sunday startas are an excellent idea - more opportunity to see live tennis!

jezzauk wrote:

---

I'm remaining sceptical but it could yet be good if the ranking points are awarded appropriately. So no match would be completely pointless if there were always ranking points at stake.
You could have possibilities like 10 points per win in the group, or even say 8 points per set.

I really don't understand the idea of having a 24 man tournament though, that really does seem dumb and backward.

Time will tell.

---

the ONLY positive thing to come out of the first tournament, is that the players will be getting used to the courts and are up and running for the year!

Get In!!!!!!!!!!!!!!