Tour Players Continue to Have Health and Conditioning Problems

Written by: Staff on 6th October 2010

Tour Players Continue to Have Health and Conditioning Problems

Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS) |

WTA Tour chairman and chief executive Stacey Allaster has worked hard at ensuring the women’s tennis calendar comes to a close considerably earlier than their male counterparts but it seems as though the demands of competition are still several weeks too long. A day after Agnieszka Radwanska declared she is done for 2010, former U.S. Open and French Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova has also declared her year is over.

After starting the current calendar ranked third in the world, 2010 has been largely disappointing for 25 year-old Kuznetsova. Aside from securing a solitary title at San Diego, she has struggled to stamp her undoubted authority on the game, allowed her Roland Garros title defence to end early at the third round stage and indeed did not progress beyond the round of 16 in any of the four majors.

Currently ranked 12 in the world, Kuznetsova has succumbed to influenza and after snuffling her way through second round defeat in Tokyo and an opening round exit against qualifier Roberta Vinci in another title defence at the current China Open in Beijing, she has erected the white flag of surrender.

Kuznetsova has already sent her apologies to Kremlin Cup tournament director Aleksei Selivanenko even though the Moscow event does not officially begin for another 12 days on October 18.

The St. Petersburg-born player used her Twitter account to announce: “My health issues won’t allow me to play in my home country tournament in Moscow! I have to end this difficult season now and recover.”

Kuznetsova, maintained she has been hampered by the illness throughout the current Asian swing and was not able to prepare for the Beijing event, where last year she ironically beat Radwanska in the final, because of illness.

“After U.S. Open, I practiced hard for a week in Moscow,” she reported. “I was supposed to leave on Tuesday for Tokyo so I’d have five days to practice and everything.

“Then I got sick. From Sunday to Saturday, one week, I wasn’t home, I didn’t go out, I didn’t do any fitness, I was in bed. I didn’t have time, but that’s how it is.”

This will be the first time Kuznetsova has not contested the calendar ending Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Championships since 2005.

Topics: Apologies, Beijing, Difficult Season, French Open, French Open Champion, Health Issues, Influenza, Kremlin Cup, Majors, Male Counterparts, Moscow, Roberta Vinci, Roland Garros, St Petersburg, Sunday To Saturday, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Tennis Calendar, Title Defence, Tournament Director, White Flag