Radwanksa Not Allowed To Play In New Event In Poland

Written by: Staff on 10th January 2013

Radwanksa Not Allowed To Play In New Event In Poland |

No. 4 and top Pole Agnieszka Radwanska would like to play the new clay court tournament in Poland, the BNP Paribas Katowice Open but will be unable to so do so this year unless the WTA reverses it decision.

Top 10 players such as Radwanska are only allowed to play two lower level International Series tournaments season, one in the first half of the year and one in the second, and the 23-year-old Radwanska had already scheduled in the Auckland tournament when she made her calendar nearly a year ago. She asked for an exemption from the WTA but was denied. Radwanska said that she only heard about the April 8-14 tournament becoming official in November, well after she had made her schedule.

“We were trying to [get an exemption] but there were a couple persons that were against,” she said. “You cannot really do anything about that. It was the question if I can play two [internationals in the first half of the year. It was official question for the WTA, and of course a lot of people working on that. They didn’t do an exception. I think on one side it’s pretty hard to do that, but on the other side, why not? It’s the rules, right, so…”

Radwanska’s coach, Thomas Wiktorowski, recently told the Polish press that they approached the WTA Player Council for the exemption and lost a 3-1 vote: “Sam Stosur, Serena Williams, Francesca Schiavone and Caroline Wozniacki [voted] and you can guess who supported us,” he said.

Wiktorowski was referring to Wozniacki, who is of Polish origin and whose father, Piotr is said to have financial interest in the tournament. The group in Poland bought the sanction from the tournament in Copehagen, which Piotr Wozniacki was also said to have an interest in.

Even though Wiktorowski said that it was the three members of the Player Council who denied Radwanksa, that is improbable as such a decision would likely go to the WTA Board of Directors.

Not only will Radwanska be unable to play, but world No. 5 Angelique Kerber, who is also of Polish extraction, won’t compete there as she is signed up to play in the tournament in Monterey, Mexico, which has switched to clay courts and begins the first week of April.

©Daily tennis news wire

Topics: Angelique Kerber, Auckland tournament, bnp, Caroline Wozniacki, Francesca Schiavone, Sam Stosur, Serena Williams, Sports, Tennis, Wta