New WTA CEO Steve Simon will make “fundamental” changes to the cramped end-of-year tennis calendar to ensure the best players compete at the flagship WTA Finals after world number one Serena Williams withdrew from this year’s event.

The American’s absence because of fatigue is a hammer blow for organisers, who have been welcoming tired players to Singapore this week after frantic efforts to ensure qualification for the lucrative end-of-season event.

Simon, formerly Tournament Director and Chief Operating Officer of the Indian Wells event, said calendar changes were likely to be a hot topic of conversation when he sits down with the players this week.

“We have to make some fundamental changes in the calendar and our approach to it,” he told reporters in Singapore yesterday.

“We have to look at our structure and look at what we do to give the athlete the best chance to be as close to 100 per cent at the end of the year as they can.”

Russia’s Maria Sharapova beat Agnieszka Radwanska in her WTA finals opener on Sunday in the first match she had completed since losing to Williams at Wimbledon in July.

Radwanska and fellow Singapore competitors Simona Halep and Petra Kvitova have also had injury issues this year which will go on after Singapore despite the end of season tag.

Zuhai, China next week will be the 59th event of the calendar before the season closes the following week with the Fed Cup final.

A brief off-season then takes place before the players return to tournaments in the first week of January to start another gruelling campaign.

WTA Finals results: Kerber beat Kvitova 6-2 7-6; Muguruza beat Safarova 6-3 7-6.

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