May 8, 2008 - The Women’s Tennis Association and Maria Sharapova are seriously butting heads over an upcoming commercial scheduled to shoot in Rome.
Some reports state that the WTA’s threatened fines for non-participation in the shoot could run between up to $700,000. Sharapova explains on her web site:
I want all my fans to know that the WTA Tour is forcing me and several of the other top players to do a 4 hour commercial shoot for WTA Tour marketing materials. They want me to do this shoot on Sunday, Monday or Tuesday of the Rome tournament after flying 12 hours from LA. I have set my own personal rules when is comes to doing shoots and I never do shoots before tournaments because they are mentally draining and I want to just focus on my tennis.
Sharapova goes on to ask fans what she should do.
1) Should I just do the shoot? 2) Should I not do the shoot and take the fine? 3) Should I not do the shoot and take legal action against the WTA? 4) Should I contact the other top players and try to boycott the shoot? 5) Other.
It’s not unreasonable for the WTA to require the players to take part in some promotional activities, but it is unreasonable for the WTA to schedule photo shoots right before the players are going to play a tournament and expect all of them to comply (if, in fact, that’s what happened).
Here’s a wacky idea (via AOL Sports): If the WTA can’t find a time for a photo shoot that works for Sharapova, why not just send a photographer to her matches and use promotional pictures that show her, you know, playing tennis?
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