Kamakshi Tandon (who I flove) has another great article over at ESPN.com on the WTA Roadmap. She summarizes things quite nicely:
But although the Roadmap hasn't managed to create a revolution in those respects, in other ways it represents a significant evolution in the structure of the tour. Top players will now have the majority of their schedule decided for them, and there will be a far larger gulf in the quality of fields between big and small tournaments. In effect, the cream is being skimmed for an elite tour within the tour, with a diluted, milky version left below.
The tour also is bringing in a form of revenue sharing linked to prize money increases and increasing correlation with the ATP tour -- nearly half of next year's tournaments are combined or back-to-back men's and women's events. There also is a geographic shift, with more big Asian events than before.
In a nutshell, top players are giving up flexibility in return for more prize money and a neater calendar. Tournaments are investing more into their events in return for the promise of more stars to sell tickets. Fans will get the opportunity to see the big names clash more often but less chance to see them in their own backyard.
So basically they're trying to create a YEC throughout the year, with the top 10-ers constantly playing each other in major tourneys. Obviously this doesn't suck. But the thought of not being able to see big names in small tourneys like Linz, Stanford, etc. That's kind of a bummer.
Pajama Party! Pajama Party! Pajama Party!
