WTA Will Allow Players To Consult Coaches On-Court In '09

The Sony Ericsson WTA Tour yesterday announced as part of its Road Map to 2009 program that it will "start allowing players to consult their coaches during matches beginning next season," according to Liz Clarke of the WASHINGTON POST. All coaches "must agree to wear a microphone during the consultation, with their advice aired over the courtside loudspeakers and TV broadcast." On-court coaching "won't be allowed at the sport's four major events ... because they aren't supervised by the WTA." WTA Chair & CEO Larry Scott: "The driving force behind this is really to continue to innovate for television and allow our many fans around the world to get a little bit closer to what's going on behind the scenes, in the player's head, in their coach's head" (WASHINGTON POST, 9/4).

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PRIZE PARTY: In London, Neil Harman writes, "A novel element outlined by Scott is that a group of outside auditors will be allowed to examine the books of every tournament in the calendar, to give those who govern the sport a greater understanding of the operation of those tournaments that they sanction without actually appreciating how they make ends meet. More fascinating still is that if the individual tournament revenues increase, the prize-money they offer will rise by the same percentage. Equally, if revenues decline, prize-money will fall, although not below an agreed minimum. Scott is clearly the most able of administrators in the game today" (LONDON TIMES, 9/4). SI.com's Jon Wertheim wrote, "If the men were smart, they'd figure out a way to retain Larry Scott and amalgamate the tours. Imagine the leverage a joint tour would have negotiating more prize money from the Slams!" (SI.com, 9/3).

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