French federation wants reforms to protect Paris Masters

PARIS, Nov 4 (Reuters) The French Tennis Federation (FFT) asked today for immediate reforms to prevent the Paris Masters from being depleted again next year.

The last regular men's event of the season before the year-end Masters Cup has suffered from high profile no-shows over the past few years and started this week without five of the world's top six players.

The ATP plans to introduced a reformed calendar in 2009 and its chairman, Etienne De Villiers, said this week in Paris that bans should be considered to stop the top players from missing major tournaments with no good excuse.

The FFT said, however, that it felt action should be taken sooner.

''The French Tennis Federation considers that decisions have to be taken without delay, from 2007,'' the French ruling body said in a statement.

The FFT said it wanted the Paris Masters to be staged earlier in the season and said measures should be taken to make sure the top players entered the event.

''The FFT wishes the Paris Masters would be staged two weeks earlier in the international calendar and wants the top players to be forced to enter it,'' the statement read.

''We need the rules to be more strict and we need sanctions such as bans to punish withdrawals,'' it added.

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