As the ATP and WTA stands now, we have seperate competitions among world teams, held annually. We also have the Olympic Games, held once every four years.
My son is an ATP Pro, and we have disscused the alternative of having a men's and women's combined team world tournamnet along the lines of the Davis Cup. He says there have been proposals for such an event, but that nothing has come to fruition.
Thus my question is, why not skip the Davis Cup and Fed Cup in Olympic years, leaving three other years for world competition. One year you would have Davis Cup, the next the Combined Cup, the third the Fed Cup and the fourth the Olympic Games?
As it is right now, with ATP 1000 tournaments on the increase, and World Team Tennis becoming, rightfully, more popular, touring professionals are stressed to the breaking point. I can also see The Madrid Masters possible becoming a Grand Slam Event. The facilities there are fabulous, and are only going to get better. With the number of great and on-coming Spanish players, why should'nt Spain have it's own Grand Slam? The same will be true for Argentina, but they will need facilities, so that may be further in the futures.
The bottom line is that the World Tennis Federation should do whatever is necessary to promote the game, as the USTA has done. Our leaders should always be planning for the future, and as one sees the tremendous popularity of the U.S. Open continue to grow by leaps and bounds, both in terms of record-setting attendance and increased network TV Coverage both nationally and world-wide, would it not be a wise idea to take advantage of the attraction that professional tennis is now generating.
Bill B.
Somers, New York
September 15, 2009
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