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Russian pin-up Maria Sharapova added her voice to calls for the women's tennis season to be slashed after figures showed an alarming rise in the number of top players hobbling out of events.
The US Open champion, and former world number one, fell victim to the curse herself on Friday when a hip injury forced her to withdraw from the Kremlin Cup quarter-finals in Moscow.
"I feel strongly that the tennis season needs to be made shorter, with more breaks for players to rest in order to be in peak condition when we do play," said Sharapova, the world number three.
"I know the Tour is taking this issue seriously and I'm looking forward to the changes that will lead to a healthier schedule for players."
The WTA Tour on Friday released figures showing that top player withdrawals have reached an all-time high this season.
The report showed that top 10 player withdrawals from the Tour's high-profile tournaments have more than doubled (from 13 to 31) from 2005 to 2006.
In the last five years, the figure has increased by 72 percent.
WTA Tour chief executive Larry Scott has organised a committee to develop specific rule changes for 2007 that he hopes will improve the situation.
Scott also confirmed the need for the Tour's 'Roadmap 2010' plan to be accelerated by one year, to 2009.
This plan is aimed at creating a better schedule, a longer off-season and more breaks for top players.
"Fans and tournaments deserve to see the top players and to be able to count on them to show up, but injuries and withdrawals from a season that overtaxes our players is hurting the fan experience," said Scott.
"Women's professional tennis needs to enact bold reforms in the name of player health and the continued global growth of the game.
"This latest data is a clear signal that our season is simply too long and too gruelling for even the finest women athletes in the world.
"The Tour's Roadmap plan is designed to address this fundamental issue and create a healthier calendar in which top players are consistently able to compete on our biggest stages."
Scott's calls were supported by American tennis legend Billie Jean King.
"For women's tennis to be successful, top players need to be consistently playing each other in the Tour's top events," said King. "We've got a challenge on our hands today with the increasing number of top player injuries and withdrawals.
"We all know that the season is too long and that top players need breaks so that their bodies don't break down."
The Roadmap 2010 plan would see a shortened season ending in October, more breaks for top players after Grand Slams, a reduction in the number of tournaments top players must play from 13 to 11, the creation of four combined mandatory events with the ATP men's tour as well as a simplified ranking system.
dj/mo06
Tennis-WTA-injuries
AFP 131829 GMT 10 06
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