RICCI BITTI: MONEY IS DESTROYING MANY TENNIS CAREERS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Madrid, Spain: ITF president Francesco Ricci Bitti believes excessive money is ending the careers of young hopefuls and reveals the danger in the coming changes on the ATP and WTA tours. "The International Tennis Federation is what guarantees the integrity of our sport," he told DPA in a recent interview in Moscow. He also made it quite clear he would fight to ensure the ATP's new plans, which include a complete calendar overhaul in 2009, do not affect the success of the Davis Cup. Ricci Bitti: We are not angry, just concerned about the changes in tennis which could damage valuable assets such as the Davis Cup. The calendar is very inflexible, which can lead to complicated discussions. The tour is focussed on generating more money, which is understandable, but it should not come at the expense of the intrinsic values of tennis. Davis Cup has always been played two weeks after the Grand Slams. For those who want to play more and more tournaments, it could be useful to change it, and we don't agree. DPA: Don't you think there's too much glamour and hype around "image" on the WTA tour, and not enough tennis? Ricci Bitti: The ITF is what guarantees the integrity of our sport. That is our only interest, unlike other bodies. The IOC tell me they'd like to be more like tennis, it's only within tennis circles that some people aren't satisfied with what's going on. Perhaps it's the Americans, because the USA has a certain tendency towards a domestic sports "monoculture", because they are a force in so many sports. Unlike Europe, where we are more internationally oriented, because we comprise so many different countries. Every organisation wants to glam up tennis in all sorts of ways: through marketing, celebrities, gear it up more for TV...what they're really looking for is more money. They want to increase prize money and they need more money to do that. Every thing else is not important. DPA: You had a discussion about the use of Hawk-Eye, that on the ATP and WTA there are limited challenges, whereas in the Davis Cup final, players could use it as much as they wanted. Ricci Bitti: Sport is sport and we consider ourselves the guardians of the sport. That's why we opted for unlimited use of Hawk-Eye. If you have a tool, you need to use it to reshape the block of clay. Limiting the use of this tool is treating the issue as entertainment, rather than sport. That is just a small example. That's the difference, we focus on sport, which is our job. Others focus on other aspects. Every year, we put four million dollars towards developing tennis around the world and a further one million towards junior tournaments. And for veterans and wheelchair tournaments. We develop players. And when the results of our programme provide benefits at a professional level, we expect the values of tennis to be respected. DPA: Is there too much money in tennis? Ricci Bitti: There is never too much money at the pinnacle of sport. However I do think that there is too much money in the lower tiers of the circuit, where most players begin their careers. This money destroys careers - young players receive enough money to be content and thus lose motivation. DPA: But part of the 2009 plan involves giving players more money Ricci Bitti: Top class players deserve more money. They're the stars of the show, the entertainers.. DPA: A very fashionable word... Ricci Bitti: But they are entertainers! I always say: top sport is entertainment, but there is a difference - it has to be credible. And nowadays there is credibility. DPA: What's your relationship with De Villiers like? Ricci Bitti: We have discussions. In him I see a lot of enthusiasm for change. We believe that in this first stage, he is underestimating the complexity of the tennis calendar and the complexity of certain values that we consider important. He wants to give players more money, and we don't have anything against that. But it should not be at the expense of the calendar, or of our logic with the Davis Cup or big tournaments organised by national federations, which are very important to us. DPA: Why is De Villiers underestimating the complexity? Ricci Bitti: His motivation to improve the situation is very positive. But the problems that exist in professional tennis don't have anything to do with Davis Cup or the Grand Slams, which are both very successful. There is room for improvement in the circuit, for sure. I think in general he intends to improve things, the only problem is that he mustn't touch our interests. DPA: The main core of the ATP is moving to London and an executive from Manchester United has just been appointed to lead the ATP in Europe. Ricci Bitti: I was a business man myself and introducing new blood is never a negative step. The problem is finding a balance between experience in tennis and this new blood. DPA: What do you think about the push to change tournament names to incorporate sponsor names? The WTA Masters event is an example. Ricci Bitti: It always depends on the sponsorship agreement. There is always an agreement between two parties. You can be sure we will never change the name of the Davis Cup. It would not even be beneficial for BNP Paribas, for the sponsor. The important thing is to be associated with an important name or brand and not invent names or false trademarks which will not benefit in the long run, because they dilute the value of the product and the competition.