Go Global, Play Regionally
Professional tennis is one of the most international of sports on both an amateur and a professional level. Throughout the year, there are ATP and Sony Ericsson WTA Tour tournaments all over the globe. However, at this time of year, i.e. after the Australian Open and before the double whammy of the combined men and women's tournaments in Indian Wells, California (Pacific Life Open) and Key Biscayne, Florida (Sony Ericsson
Open), the players really split up and play "regional tours." For example, the men and women have a mini "EMEA" tour, i.e. Europe and Middle East tournaments which feature a lot of European players. Meanwhile, clay court players head to South America for a series of tournaments there. At the same time, American men can stay stateside and compete at hard court events in Delray Beach, San Jose, Memphis and Las Vegas. It's wonderful that professional tennis can support so many tournaments simultaneously around the globe. However, the net effect is that the top players have periods during the year, such as February, where they are scattered across many tournaments and rarely play each other. In the end, the top players face off at the four Grand Slams and probably 10 other events during the year. It's worth spreading the gospel of tennis the rest of the year…
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