Do you think the US Open should change its position on the calender? Of course you don't - and why is that? Because it falls neatly during the American summer just before the kids have to go back to school and would be unable to attend. The Australian Open is played in its current time slot for exactly the same reason. That is, during OUR summer holidays and before OUR kids go back to school.
Regardless, it isn't a case that the players SHOULD deal with it. It's a case of the players WILL deal with it.
That Federer has even suggested it makes me lose quite a lot of respect for him and if this is the level of intelligence we can expect from a new member of the ATP board then the game is in more trouble than we thought. Proposing a way of lining your already full pockets at the expense of the game itself is nothing short of disgusting.
Maybe you're overreacting a little? First, the second week of the USO takes place during school, so only part of it is during summer vacation and I suspect the choice of dates has to do with other big sport events in the US not the kids' vacation system. I think the idea of moving the AO forward is to give the players time to play more tournaments before the slam (in order to be less rusty). I understand you're against it but no need to trash Fed over the suggestion, it's not that "evil"!Do you think the US Open should change its position on the calender? Of course you don't - and why is that? Because it falls neatly during the American summer just before the kids have to go back to school and would be unable to attend. The Australian Open is played in its current time slot for exactly the same reason. That is, during OUR summer holidays and before OUR kids go back to school.
Regardless, it isn't a case that the players SHOULD deal with it. It's a case of the players WILL deal with it.
That Federer has even suggested it makes me lose quite a lot of respect for him and if this is the level of intelligence we can expect from a new member of the ATP board then the game is in more trouble than we thought. Proposing a way of lining your already full pockets at the expense of the game itself is nothing short of disgusting.
Now that Nadal also agrees I wonder if Veroniquem and Nadal_Freak will say that he is also arrogant....or would Federer's comments have suddenly become true and not reek of arrogance
I've thought about that before. It would be nice to have a master before each slam (that would include AO and Wimbledon)I've been told the Aussie weather is hotter in February, so moving it is not good in that aspect.
Yes, it's also bad because the kids will be going back to school, but RG is held during the school year and it's not affected. Not sure about Wimbledon, I think that starts right about the time school ends in England, but there may be a week of overlap.
The main reason to move the AO is the eventual possibility that there could be a Masters before it, and to allow three weeks of lead up tournaments so that the Gulf States events don't compete with the Aussie/New Zealand tournaments for players.
Fed, Nadal and the others can spout off all they want, the Slams are the richest events on the calendar and they pretty much call the shots. They are also not really governed by the ATP, so they don't really pay attention to these comments.
well does anybody think the USO should be moved to mid/late September?
After reading the article, disregard my last post. Stupid idea when you realize what he's saying. He wants the opportunity to PLAY MORE before the AO starts.
It's one of the AO's unique demands, along with what can be convection oven type weather.
In light of the stated "reason", I feel more strongly that the event should stay where it is, for the sake of the Aussie public who pays the cash to put their fannies in those seats.
Players have gotten ready for this event the best they could for years.
The players should deal with it.
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Is it really a "unique demand" for guys to only get 2 or 3 wks of match play before a GS at the start of the season? And get hurt bc of lack of match play? I'm not buying that. It should be moved back, just so its closer to the other 3 GS's, instead of having a 5 month gap between GS's.
I'm not buying the Australian summer argument either, the USO isn't played during the middle of the summer, its at the end, so why not move the Aussie and the start of the season back a couple of wks.
Yeah, that's unique to the Majors.
You're talking about this topic as if the AO changed it's place in the calendar this year. They've been playing it the last two weeks of January for now, 23 years.
Hurt? Where's the evidence to support that thought?
And most of the injuries that occurred there in the past were due to the former surface there which would transform to a veritable "gummy bear" consistency in the heat.
BOTH the AO and the USO are played at the end of each hemisphere's summer.
IF ANYTHING starting the USO a week sooner would makes sense, and like John McEnroe advocates playing the men's final on Labor Day Monday, affording the men the same day of rest between matches they had in the first six rounds.
Oh and from the end of the AO til the beginning of RG is less than four months now. Where are you going to play the added warm-up events? Two months in Australia? What part of the season are you going to eliminate after the AO? Indoors and the S. American clay court swing? The hard court MS? Straight to Euro clay?
It's been this way for 23 years, without complaints.
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I used to think that it should be moved but after watching the event last year it was obvious that the aussies know what they are doing. I say keep it where it is, it seems like a great event filled with festivities and getting better every year
After reading the article, disregard my last post. Stupid idea when you realize what he's saying. He wants the opportunity to PLAY MORE before the AO starts.
It's one of the AO's unique demands, along with what can be convection oven type weather.
In light of the stated "reason", I feel more strongly that the event should stay where it is, for the sake of the Aussie public who pays the cash to put their fannies in those seats.
Players have gotten ready for this event the best they could for years.
The players should deal with it.
5
On this particular point, disagree with roger and rafa.
For those of us living here in SH, that like opening a thread called:
"Move the US open two weeks earlier! then two weeks off the calender!" for
Americans or "Move Roland Garros two weeks earlier and have longer grass season" for the French.
Roger's statements are contradictory on this issue....The Middle east tornaments are suddenly more important than the slams? then he wonders why melburnians are perplexed?
Melbourne in january is here to stay, and if players need 1000 games to be
"ready" then that's their pathetic ability speaking right there.
My 10 cents...and sick of "changes to the calender" threads.
That doesn't mean that there isn't room for change. It's the people with attitudes like yours that stop change from ever being considered in tennis, to help the game grow.
I was just suggesting what several of the pros have suggested, that the season needs to be shortened one way or another. Whether it should end sooner or start later is to be debated.
I just think that there's no reason for the season to end in late october and already restart 1st week of January. I'd move the tourney back a couple of weeks, maybe add another week of warm up tourneys, and yes, i'd shorten the clay court season.
Or take a tournament or 2 off hard courts and move. Indian Wells and Miami seem to be out of place. Make the clay season start earlier. Then it would work.IMO, a better move is to move RG back a week or two, cut down a tournament or two on clay, use that new time after RG for a grass court swing that continues 1-2 weeks after Wimbledon (make it a masters series), cut down a bit on the USO series (or just make it the same week as Indianopolis), then have your USO series, then a good carpet/indoor stretch (why did they have to get rid of carpet?) at the end, possibly giving an earlier end.
Or take a tournament or 2 off hard courts and move. Indian Wells and Miami seem to be out of place. Make the clay season start earlier. Then it would work.
Yes, it's also bad because the kids will be going back to school, but RG is held during the school year and it's not affected. Not sure about Wimbledon, I think that starts right about the time school ends in England, but there may be a week of overlap.
Australians are more than open to change...in 87 they moved the tournament
Lets see what roger is saying...he's advocating a middle east AND aussie swing....so if you then play the Aussie in february...where is the space for
the south american clay tournys or memphis/sanjose/rotterdam etc..
indian wells has to start in march remeber?
in your words "do whatever to shorten the season"..this seems like
lengthening it.
As for the injuries debate...just as many injuries...happen at the end of the season.
as for the other thing roger's saying..."more time to prepare" ...that also
doesn't understand the bueaty and uniqueness going on...this is the CHALLENGE that faces them...play well from the start.
Now that Nadal also agrees I wonder if Veroniquem and Nadal_Freak will say that he is also arrogant....or would Federer's comments have suddenly become true and not reek of arrogance
Of course, anything Fed says is a token of 'arrogance', no?
Even if he says anything in agreement with Rafa, they are sure to twist it some other way to make him look bad... :?
I agree the USO should be the end of season tournament. The interest drops massively after that.My point is that the season in general is too long, and in particular, the clay court and hc tourneys have too much weight compared to grass basically only being two weeks. I also think the "off season" is too short. So I'd move the Aussie back, maybe only a wk, and get rid of a lot of the lower clay tourneys, and lenghen the grass season a couple of wks, w/ a MS event.
Also, I'd shorten the indoors season after USO, just bc no sports fans in America really pay attention to the game after the USO. It'd also make the USO mean more as far as the year end championships, which could be middle start of oct. Just a suggestion. Not saying you have to agree w/ it.
Not at all, actually the USO is my least favorite slam. I just think it would make it more interesting if the year ended with a slam be it USO or AO.^^^^ why, because only US fans matter? stop being so short-sighted.
AO is not the problem. The problem is we have 3 clay masters in a row, 3 weeks of grass (2 of which are Wimbledon) and what, 4 weeks of hard courts (2 masters in a row).
School hols in England don't start until about 3 weeks after Wimbledon finishes.
Suddenly the Freaks are actually discussing about the topic and not about how arrogant Fed is! LOL
Maybe Nadal should agree with everything Federer says....atleast that way we will have more meaningful discussions here *WINK*
Do you think the US Open should change its position on the calender? Of course you don't - and why is that? Because it falls neatly during the American summer just before the kids have to go back to school and would be unable to attend. The Australian Open is played in its current time slot for exactly the same reason. That is, during OUR summer holidays and before OUR kids go back to school.