The WTA has announced its 2012 and 2013 calendars, with a new grass-court event being added in Cairo, Egypt, two weeks before Wimbledon, and another in Baku, Azerbaijan, during the last week of July.
Due to the London Olympics, the 2012 season has been compacted, with no off-weeks between January 1 and the end of the season. The final week starts October 29 with the Fed Cup final and the B-level Tournament of Champions, which will no longer be in its current location in Bali.
The Premier 5 tournament at Stanford will be played the week after Wimbledon, with the new tournament in Elkridge, Maryland, going up against the Olympics the week of July 30. Interestingly, the two mandatory tournaments in Cincinnati and Canada will be held right after what is usually a taxing week at the Olympics for the top players.
A new tournament in Dallas, Texas, will be played the same week of New Haven, the week before the U.S. Open. That international level tournament debuts this year.
In 2012, there will be 20 combined events with the men in addition to the four Grand Slams and the Olympics (Indian Wells, Miami, Madrid, Beijing, Rome, Montreal/Toronto, Cincinnati, Sydney, Eastbourne, Moscow, Brisbane, Estoril, Memphis, Acapulco and s’Hertogenbosch). Back-to-back events will be held in Dubai, Tokyo, Auckland and Bastad.—Matthew Cronin