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Tuesday, 31 October 2006 |
Etienne De Villiers to make changes after Paris Masters withdrawals
Men's tennis chief Etienne De Villiers has vowed to make changes the sport's calendar after a spate of top-name stars has withdrawn from the Paris Masters.
Etienne de Villiers said he was "disappointed and concerned" after Roger Federer also pulled out, which means five of the world's top six will not be taking part in the event.
"This reinforces my determination to introduce meaningful change to the calendar," said Etienne de Villiers.
Tennis tournament director Cedric Pioline wants serial absentees to face bans for failing to appear.
"The tournament organisers seem to have more obligations than the players," said Cedric Pioline, a former top-10 player and he added: "We need a system with sanctions and, having been a player, I can tell you that fines don't work. We need bans."
Roger Federer pulled out on Monday due to tiredness and Rafael Nadal cites injury, while David Nalbandian has a stomach problem.
World number four Ivan Ljubicic and number six Andy Roddick withdrew earlier, having already qualified for the Masters Cup at the end of the season.
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 02 November 2006 )
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