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Tennis mailbag, with CNN's Candy Reid
(CNN) -- Do you have a question about tennis for World Sport Anchor Candy Reid? E-mail candy@cnn.com. Q: Hi Candy, I have recently noted comments by the top players that the season is too long, and for them I totally agree. From figures obtained from the ATP site I have come up with the following: Federer has played 80 matches so far this year to maintain No.1 which is one every four days. Nadal has played 89 matches, also about one every four days, and Roddick 69 matches (not including Paris) which is about one every five days. In comparison -- Taylor Dent 52 matches, Moya 51 matches, Puerta 59 matches which is about one every 7 days. The ATP requires players to compete in so many tournaments each year, and for the top five or six players, who usually make it to quarterfinals or further, this is a very big load. I think that if the ATP wants to keep tennis financial and popular this requirement must be amended somehow, to keep the top players fit enough to play. It is such a pity that so many did not make it to Paris. I would appreciate your thoughts. A: Thanks for your question Heather. Coincidentally I spoke to Lindsay Davenport about the problem this week and she said she's been trying to get the season shortened, for many of the reasons you mentioned, for ages, but to no avail. Last year so many of the top women picked up injuries, and this year the men are going down like flies and the Masters Cup has been badly hit with the withdrawals of Marat Safin (knee), Andy Roddick (back) and Lleyton Hewitt (toe and baby!) You've got to feel for Ivan Ljubicic, who's playing in the season-ender and still has the Davis Cup final to come. Then he's got a few weeks off before the season begins again -- and he can't really stop practicing completely and hope to be at his best in January, can he? They've already tried to push January's Australian Open back -- but because of an "overcrowded international calendar" it's not possible -- so perhaps finishing the season a month or so earlier is the way to go. Not everyone would be pleased with the changes, but it may be the best option for the game. Q: After much talk of the "imminent" arrival of "Hawk-Eye" technology used for line calls, it still is not accepted as part of the game. Why do you think there is such a reluctance to introduce this seemingly accurate tool in improving officiating? A: Well Robert, the latest news is that the WTA Tour will use technology next summer. The main problem up to now has been accuracy -- but according to WTA Tour Chairman and CEO Larry Scott, Hawk-Eye and Auto Ref have both been tested time and time again and both are now over 90 percent accurate -- better than the human average. It looks as though the U.S. Open will be the first Grand Slam to use the technology, but it's not yet known which system will be used. Do you think technology should be allowed to call the shots in tennis?. Email in with your opinions!
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