Google News WTA Elite Trophy in China: what is the meaning of a mandatory tournament at the end of the year?
by LUIGI GATTO | VIEW 5241
First edition of the WTA Elite Trophy Tournament will begin today and will officially end the WTA 2015 Season for the biggest players. The event is still in a progressive phase. It is reported that the Zhuhai Hengqin International Tennis Center construction project covers a land area of about 148,000 square meters and total construction area of about 145,000 square meters.
The planning includes two phases. The Phase I project includes the construction of one 5,000-seat central court, one 1,500-seat outdoor court, four 250-seat game courts and twelve outdoor training courts, in order to meet the tournament needs next year; the Phase II project includes the construction of 12,000-seat top venue as well as cultural exhibition area, indoor training center, athletes’ apartment, supporting service center and other facilities.
A tournament that can become luxurious in some years, but isn't very appreciated by the players ranked between Nos. 9-20 (plus one wild-card) who have to play. The reasons are simple: it's the end of the season, players already played in Beijing, Wuhan and Tokyo last month and came back in Europe to play indoor season.
Therefore it's a nightmare to travel back again to China. The Event had to think about it but at the moment there isn't any solution. Well, the solution is one, as suggested by the organizers: you don't want to play? That's ok, you get a $50.000 fine.
This is the reason why Caroline Wozniacki and Venus Williams decided to take part to the event. 'I took a day where I thought, ‘Can I motivate myself enough to play the tournament and can I work through in these weeks leading up to it? If I felt that I was too tired, I would skip.
But I would like to give it one last try' said Wozniacki, who is looking forward to enjoy vacations by next week. The American, who won Wuhan and then lost early in Beijing and lost onto the semifinals in Hong Kong, said that she didn't want to play again since she didn't qualify to Wta Finals.
'I have been playing with an injury - Venus declared previously -To extend my season for three more weeks may not be... good'. She changed idea, was first alternate in Singapore and now, surprisingly, chose to play Zhuhai. The two "lucky" players who were able to avoid this tournament were Belinda Bencic, who is suffering an hand injury and has not been playing since Beijing (is it so serious this injury?), and Timea Bacsinszky, who has a knee ligament injury.
Obviously the wild card went to SaiSai Zheng, World No. 75. You understood good, no stronger players had asked to play the tournament. Also Read: Here Are the Five Best Shots of the Last Week!