The '16 WTA season is less than a week old, but top players are "dropping like flies" due to injuries, and the contenders for the Australian Open, which begins later this month, will "all enter the major under a cloud," according to Walsh & McDonald of THE AUSTRALIAN. Top-ranked Serena Williams "is battling a degenerative knee problem" that forced her to withdraw from the Hopman Cup on Tuesday. The six-time Aussie Open champ is "struggling to be fit to play in Melbourne," as she has "declared only rest would help her overcome the problem." Maria Sharapova, who is ranked No. 4, is "hoping to recover after a recurrence of a forearm injury forced her to withdraw from the Brisbane International," while Simona Halep "also withdrew from the tournament after feeling pain in her achilles tendon." The No. 2-ranked Halep is "hopeful of playing next week" in the Apia Int'l Sydney. Meanwhile, No. 6 Petra Kvitova had to pull out of the Shenzhen Open this week after "suffering from a stomach bug" (THE AUSTRALIAN, 1/7). Third-ranked Garbine Muguruza is the latest the join the injured list, as she pulled out of the Brisbane event yesterday "with a sore left foot." Five of the "top six players have pulled out due to injury" in the last few days (TENNIS.com, 1/6).
ROAD MAP REVERSAL: ESPN.com's Peter Bodo wrote the "banged-up state of the WTA's top stars vividly illustrates how the law of unintended consequences works." The WTA in '09 "adopted a much-publicized 'Road Map"' to "create a two-month offseason." Giving players a longer offseason "has opened up a whole new world of extra-tournament opportunities for them." Williams "has some history with her ailing left knee," so did she really "have to play those International Premier Tennis League matches halfway round the world from her home, during her time off?" Sharapova also "played those IPTL exhibitions, as well as hosting her own eponymous exhibition" in L.A. The tour infrastructure has "become so remunerative for top players that they can afford to withdraw from smaller tournaments in order to safeguard their chances in upcoming, major events." The "pullouts of Sharapova and Halep are pretty good examples of these 'precautionary' withdrawals" (ESPN.com, 1/5). SI.com's Jon Wertheim wrote fans "shouldn't entirely let tennis administrators off the hook" in regards to the numerous injuries, as when five top-10 players withdraw from events "in the first week of the season with injuries or illness, maybe it's time to address the situation in a meaningful way." The issue is due to "economics and incentive and risk/reward analysis." He wrote, "The purses -- and bonuses and overall status -- of the majors is so vast compared to the garden-variety events, the players aspire to full health. So much so that they think little of withdrawing from a tune-up with the slightest bump, bruise or bellyache" (SI.com, 1/6).
