by Beth Rifkin
A year ago it was unthinkable to believe that the steps taken to make the WTA Tour more exciting would lead to any sort of scandal. After all, no sport more than tennis has taken such proactive measures to lure fans back to center court, and they’ve succeeded with impressive results – viewership for this year’s US Open was up 24% from 2008, and it was a tournament where the women actually outshined the men – thanks to Melanie Oudin’s unexpected run, the return of Maria Sharapova and Kim Clijsters and fan fave’s Venus and Serena Williams. However, last week, one of the Tours favorite rising stars and 2009 US Open finalist, Caroline Wozniacki, found herself at the center of a gambling investigation as a consequence of on-court coaching, one of the WTA’s innovative initiatives to improve broadcasting.
In a first round match in Luxembourg, Wozniacki’s father and coach, Piotr, was heard on television discussing a possible retirement due to a hamstring strain, during a miked on-court coaching session in the second set. It’s said that the comments may have spurred an increase in money wagered on Betfair for Wozniacki’s opponent and local player, Anne Kremer, originally not favored to win the match.
While it is a shame that this happened to someone like Wozniacki, who is an extremely likeable and honorable player – and at the top of the list of players unlikely to do anything outside the rules – the WTA does have an obligation to look into any possible situation that arises. Discriminating based simply on character would actually put those who are honest under greater jeopardy of suspicion.
Tennis Channel commentator and former pro player Justin Gimelstob told me, “It’s unfortunate, the intention was pure – the thought that comes to mind is ‘no good deed goes unpunished’. It’s really tough to find kinder, gentler people than the Wozniacki’s. I highly doubt there was any malicious or scandalous type of intention. Caroline’s father was just trying to protect her physically. In a convoluted way he was trying to do what was right.”
Though they’ve come under much scrutiny the last few days, the WTA’s efforts shouldn’t be dismissed. From a broadcasting – and fan – perspective on-court coaching has been a hit. It offers fans a behind-the-scenes look at what goes through a players mind during a match and we get to hear the thoughts and strategies of a professional coach in the heat of the moment. For some it may be merely just interesting and for others of us, possibly it is advice that we take into our own game when we are in a similar, though less-urgent, position.
What caught my eye in this unfortunate matter is that it’s taken 10 months into the season before this type of situation occurred. With the on-court coaching sessions broadcasted, really the point of having them, it can give gamblers a whole different level of information as to what’s going on with a player…if they’re complaining of being fatigued, bothered by an injury, or simply having a bad day…it’s much different from the stoic match face that’s tougher to read.
Gimelstob says, “The dispersing of information has gone to an all time high and it’s increasingly daily. There’s a value in getting more access, it’s good for broadcast but now we’re seeing that it has an alternate downside. All things have to be constantly reviewed; it’s part of the process of evolution of information”.
I am a fan of the initiative but I would think no matter the conditions, especially after this, in order to protect themselves players and coaches have to be extra careful of what they say during those on-court sessions, which is really a contradiction to the point of having on-court coaching in the first place. Clearly, improvement takes patience.
October 26, 2009
