Master's Cup goes back to Europe

There seems to be some changes afoot in the ATP, including cutting down the currently nine tournament Master's series down to eight, and moving the Masters' Cup back to Europe. However, that doesn't mean that Shanghai will no longer host a major tournament. Etienne de Villiers, the new chairman of the ATP, revealed that

Plans are to stage new combined tournaments before the French Open in the spring and convert the current Tennis Masters Cup in Shanghai into an autumn dual-sex event.

Other changes include monetary sanctions for any of the elite players that drop out of what will become mandatory tournaments. The ATP is hoping to stem the number of unauthorized dropouts and increase the appeal of tennis in the mass marketplace, where de Villiers says soccer and motor sports have competed more effectively than tennis.

Photo from sports.tom.com