Miami Open tournament director James Blake on Monday urged tennis chiefs to rethink seeding rules after Serena Williams was handed a tough draw at this week’s event in Florida.
Blake said that Williams is effectively being penalized for taking maternity leave by WTA tournament regulations.
The 23-time Grand Slam-winner heads into this week’s Miami Open unseeded after taking 13 months off to have her first child.
Photo: AP / Miami Herald
Such a lengthy absence means she is ranked 491st and although the 36-year-old can use a protected world standing to enter up to eight tournaments during a 12-month period, it does not apply to seedings.
In her “home” tournament in Miami, which she has won eight times, Williams has been drawn against precocious Naomi Osaka, the Japanese 20-year-old who arrives in South Florida after lifting the Indian Wells title on Sunday for her first major honor.
Special seedings were sometimes applied to players returning from long lay-offs, but that rule was scrapped.
Blake said that the WTA has treated Williams harshly ahead of her opener with Osaka today.
“I think they are going to start talking about changing the way some seedings are done and I hope they do,” Blake said. “For someone who goes on maternity break, they should be protected. These kind of things shouldn’t happen. She has won this title so many times that she needs protection.”
“It’s not as if she left because of injury and lost her passion for the game. She had a kid, which we should all be celebrating, so when she comes back there should be a grace period where she can still be seeded,” he added.
However, Blake added: “I may be complaining about it, but she never would.”
Williams, who is a minority owner of the Dolphins, was all smiles as she helped unveil new plans for the Miami Open, which are to see the Hard Rock stadium converted into a 14,000-seater tennis arena, while another 29 courts are to be built in the car parks and surrounding area.
“For now I will just be a player — who knows what will happen in the future,” she said of her role in the new-look tournament.
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