In the debate about cancellations at short notice, Berlin’s tournament director Barbara Rittner has called for more personal responsibility on the part of tennis professionals.
“What I think is missing a little bit is trying to instil in the players and the management a greater awareness of what’s behind it,” Rittner said at the end of the women’s grass court tournament in Berlin. However, the German women’s national coach rejected a penalty system for cancellations.
As an active player, she had tried to enter only those tournaments where she really wanted to play. “I sometimes miss that with the absolute top players or the management, that they are very, very selfish about it. It just happens because they have no awareness of how much work goes into an event like this.” This is also the responsibility of the women’s professional organisation WTA.
Several top players had cancelled at short notice for the event in preparation for Wimbledon. Among others, world number one Iga Swiatek did not compete, the Polish French Open winner cited shoulder problems for her withdrawal. “This happens after such a long tournament, we have no influence on it,” Rittner said.
There have been talks on the issue with the WTA and men’s counterpart ATP for years, marketer Edwin Weindorfer said. “There can always be injuries, and that has to be respected,” the Austrian stressed. But he said it was a matter of introducing a “more transparent system”. “If I go to my family doctor and say: today my shoulder itches. Who can verify that?” He hopes for a launch of Swiatek in Berlin next year.
