The headline, "Free Pass", highlighted a fundamental flaw in tournament tennis.
The subtitle read, "Marcos Baghdatis was handed a spot in the Stockholm Open final after top seed Robin Soderling withdrew from the semis with an elbow injury."
It was the second time in the last three month's Soderling's elbow injury prompted his withdrawal — he conceded a walkover to Juan Martin del Potro in the Legg Mason Tennis Classic quarterfinals in August.
Baghdatis enjoyed a free ride into Sunday's final and tennis paid the price by adhering to an antiquated walkover policy that rewards one player at the expense of paying fans, the tournament, sponsors and media.
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You might rationalize tennis' free pass policy and say, "That's a common occurrence these days; the rigors of the tour, blah, blah..."
True enough, but present rules shortchange everybody except, in this case, Baghdatis. The 66th-ranked Cypriot made the most of his free ride into the final, capturing his first tournament title in 32 months with Sunday's 6-1, 7-5 victory over Olivier Rochus.
To be clear, this isn't just about Baghdatis winning an ATP 250 title — walkover wins have occurred in Grand Slam tournaments and Tour Championships.
Eight years ago, Serena Williams received a walkover win from Lindsay Davenport in the Sanex Championships final (now known as the Sony Ericsson Championships). The WTA Tour touts its season-ending championships as the most prestigious and lucrative event on its calendar yet in that case no final was ever played.
Two years ago, Roger Federer was given a walkover into the Wimbledon quarterfinals when scheduled fourth-round opponent Tommy Haas withdrew. Federer went on to capture his fifth consecutive Wimbledon title with a 7-6(7), 4-6, 7-6(3), 2-6, 6-2 victory over second-seeded Rafael Nadal in the final. Would Federer have been as fresh in a five-set final without the walkover?
Rather than accepting withdrawals as "part of the game", shouldn't we ask: "Is this just?"
On semifinal Saturday, while Baghdatis had his feet up back at the hotel, his final opponent Olivier Rochus squeezed out a 7-6(4), 4-6, 6-3 semifinal win over Brazil's Thomaz Bellucci in a two hours and 23-minutes. Baghdatis enjoyed a day off and a free ride into the final, while Rochus played his third three-set match of the tournament and had less than 24 hours to recover before facing a refreshed Baghdatis in the final.
Is that equitable?
Is it fair to Rochus? Is it fair to the fans who paid for two semifinals yet only saw one? Is it fair to the sponsors, television networks or the tournament itself?
No. No. No. No. And No.
As Andre Agassi once remarked: "It doesn't take a genius to point out a problem, but solving it is an entirely different matter."
So what can be done?
The tour schedule is partly to blame. The prevalence of technically bad strokes (thanks to the new equipment, which allows crap to masquerade as power) is another factor. Then there is the desire for players to peak for the larger events. Had Soderling been scheduled to face Baghdatis in the US Open semifinal rather than the Stockholm semis, would he have withdrawn?
You can make a case that the present policy also unfairly penalizes smaller tournaments as players may be more likely to withdraw from those tournaments and preserve their health if a larger Masters 1000 or Grand Slam is approaching.
Injuries abound across the spectrum — from the top ten down to the bottom. We accept the fact that since the ATP World Tour season stretches nearly 11 months, players will wear down and so injuries are a part of the game, particularly late in the season when players have been sprinting on the tennis treadmill for more than 10 months.
The fact that injuries will occur means that withdrawals are inevitable, which is why it is imperative that tennis adopt a policy to prevent the free pass from becoming prevalent.
We propose that a LATE ROUND LUCKY LOSER (LRLL) solution be implemented — not during the early stages of a tournament — but certainly from the quarterfinals on in most draws, and perhaps from the round of sixteen and onward in 128-player fields.
There are several ways to enact this change.
Let us walk through a few possibilities, using Saturday's Soderling-Baghdatis contest as a reference.
Once Soderling withdrew, rather than awarding a walkover into the final, the tournament could have pitted Baghdatis against a loser from the quarterfinal round, possibly the player whom Soderling defeated in the quarters — Guillermo Garcia Lopez.
Another option would have been to select the quarterfinalist who played the most competitive match — that is, the player who lost the closest quarterfinal. Baghdatis would have had to face that player in the semis, regardless of what side of the draw the LRLL was on.
In the alternative, more mathematical approaches could work too. Note: Selection by ranking would penalize those who had played well in the tournament in question, that week. The semis should be competitive, and a player with a hot hand will have earned his place as a late-round lucky loser.
No doubt, somebody will raise the objection that many players leave town immediately upon losing. Well, too bad. He who hangs around might profit. And the profit would be another round of prize money with the potential for winning the title and champion's check. It's an interesting gamble and a test of character; is it not? The losing players who wished to become LRLLs could sign up to announce their availability, or opt out by not registering.
You might ask, "What do the fans have to gain?"
A lot. Ticket holders would get their money's worth and get to see two semifinals; speculation would be rife with anticipation as to who would be chosen as the LRLL and how this player might match-up against Baghdatis.
The LRLL (Late-Round Lucky Loser) would be a wild card, a joker snuck into the pack, a dangerous interluder, having gotten to the quarters by playing better tennis than most in the draw. And tennis would be the winner by replacing the free pass with free enterprise.
Need more be said?
Doug Messenger is a long-time tennis coach, writer and player. He wrote "Get A Grip" for this website.
