THE TennisReporters.net NEWSLETTER: THURSDAY, MARCH 17, NO. 120
exclusive
Show them the money: Star women raking in appearance fees
Dechy: 'It's clear that it exists in men's tennis and in golf. I don't know why there isn't anything is official on the women's side'

By Matthew Cronin, TennisReporters.net

V. Williams & Davenport: Susan Mullane/Camerawork USA; S. Williams:Cynthia Lum/WireImage.com; Sharapova: Fred Mullane/Camerawork USA

FROM THE PACIFIC LIFE OPEN AT INDIAN WELLS – Last summer, an exhausted Maria Sharapova took time out after her remarkable run to the Wimbledon title to do a kids clinic in New Haven, Conn.

Nice gesture, but don't forget to show her the money.

Last month, Venus and Serena Williams both appeared in Dubai to promote and play in the tournament, one of the rare occasions they have played together in a Tier II tournament. Show them the money.

Lindsay Davenport has said repeatedly over her long career that she hates flying form California to Europe more than a couple of times a year. This year, she made the extra trip. Show her the money, too.

The increasing demand for star women players has lead to a substantial increase in the amount off additional financial compensation that the players receive outside of prize money WTA Tour tournaments, TR.net has learned.

Marquee attractions such as the Serena, Venus and Sharapova are in such high demand that some tournaments are paying out hundreds of thousands of dollars in extra money in order to get players to promote their events or mix with their sponsors.

DAVENPORT: 'EVERY WTA CEO HAS KNOW WHAT TRANSPIRES'
"It happens all the time," Davenport told TR.net. "Every WTA CEO has known what transpires. Our tour would be better served to do something like the men have, where you have to play certain big tournaments and with the smaller tournaments, you open it up to whomever else they want to pay."

However, unlike on the men's tour where paying guarantees are legal, WTA rules specifically disallow players from taking additional money just to play in a tournament. But the tour does allow players to do extra promotional or sponsor appearances in order to earn more money.

WTA Players Council representative Nathalie Dechy of France isn't sure why the tour just doesn't allow the tournaments to pay straight out guarantees.

"It's clear that it exists in men's tennis and in golf," she told TR.net. "I don't know why there isn't anything is official on the women's side. I know it exists because if you are a small tournament and you want a big star to come, the only possibility is to pay something more. Why don't we just change the rules to be more clear?"

However, WTA Tour CEO Larry Scott told TR.net that the tour won't change its rules and mirror the ATP Tour, which has allowed open bidding on player appearances at their non-Master Series tournaments since 1990.

Prize money at most ATP tournaments has become irrelevant, as the amount of guarantees paid to star players is often more than twice the total prize money at the tournament and is often five to eight times the amount of the winner's check.

Scott prefers the WTA system because they can control how many ranked players are obligated to play a particular tournament. The tour is moving toward a mandatory system in 2010, where all the top players will be forced to play Tier I tournaments like this week's Pacific Life Open.

"We have a player commitment system that working," he said. "As long as they are playing where we need them to play, I'm perfectly happy for them to maximize their revenue through their commercial arrangements. I don't see any reason to change it."

BIG MONEY DOLED OUT IN LAST SIX MONTHS
Sources in the Williams camp told TR.net that Venus and Serena were paid about US$650,000 to "promote" the Dubai tournament, which they both played in. Another source said that Sharapova was paid well over US$1 million last fall to play tournaments in Asia.

"Obviously where players have commercial opportunities has an effect where they go and play," Scott admitted. "I know Sharapova has huge deals with companies that pay her to play in Japan. But as long as there is a bona fide commercial opportunity that outside out her normal tournament obligations, I'm okay with it."

Davenport played Dubai, too, but wouldn't say whether she specifically received an appearance fee. But, when asked whether she would have made the trip without additional compensation, she said, "It's a good guess."

Scott denied that the WTA was just splitting hairs with its rules, as players wouldn't be getting paid extra fees to merely promote a tournament that they are not playing in. He added that he has on a few occasions investigated tournaments and players who were accused of working out a guarantee arrangement, but found no wrongdoing occurred.

"When Sharapova went to New Haven the week after Wimbledon last year to do a clinic to promote the tournament, that's not some thing she obligated to do under our player program," he said. "But she gets paid for that. She gets flown in, gets a limo and gets paid a promotional appearance fee. That's permitted. People might say it is an inducement to play – well obviously she's only doing the promotional appearance if she planning on playing the event as well, but I'm okay with it as long there is a fair market value."

Scott admitted that it is difficult at times to judge fair market value.

SOME MEN GET MORE THAN FIVE TIMES WINNER'S CHECK
In legalizing guarantees, the ATP Tour has at times left itself open to criticism when star players have been paid sums more than five times the amount of the winner's check and then lost in the first round, seemingly without motivation to go further.

"It's not an issue on our tour," Scott said. "If I thought there was problem, I'd be concerned about it.
Kim Clijsters, who's also a Player's Council representative said that are ways for tournaments to attract all the stars. She's said that she'd have no problem with the legalization of guarantees, as long as it didn't negatively affect the tour.

"What I have to say to the tournaments that are paying the money to players is why not just raise your prize money and have a bigger event? Then they will have more good players," Clijsters said.