Absent Stars Are Taking the Steam Out of Series

It appears that the so-called “Hottest Reality Series” of summer just got a little too real.

People are not showing up for work, phoning in at the last minute with suspect excuses or spending so much time on other projects, they can’t pay attention to their day jobs, and one thing is clear after three weeks: Tennis, indeed, has begun to mirror real life in this year’s U.S. Open series.

It was supposed to feature the top players, creating story lines and subplots to elevate interest in the tournaments leading up to the U.S. Open, which starts Aug. 29. But tennis’ Real World has had plenty of vacancies.

Andy Roddick and Andre Agassi have taken turns playing tournaments but have yet to appear at the same time or even in the same city. Roger Federer and his luggage may show up later this month in Cincinnati.

Maria Sharapova, Australian Open champion Serena Williams, French Open champion Justine Henin-Hardenne and defending champion Lindsay Davenport all withdrew from this week’s $1.3-million Acura Classic in Carlsbad because of injuries.

Instead of playing this week or at the JPMorgan Chase Open next week in Carson, Venus Williams is flying to Stockholm, Sweden for a $140,000 Tier IV event next week. Davenport, hindered by a back injury, is considered doubtful through the whole U.S. Open series.

Even the best damage-control artist might have problems spinning all this.

Larry Scott, WTA chief executive, showed up Tuesday at Carlsbad, however, to answer questions about the weird turn of events, saying he was extremely disappointed by the spate of withdrawals.

Scott interrupted his vacation when Sharapova, who played a World Team Tennis match on July 23, withdrew because of a back injury.

He said he tried to get Wimbledon champion Venus Williams to enter the Acura Classic and thought it “a bit odd” that Williams had entered Stockholm in the first place.

“She listened to me but what it came down to was that she played last week in Stanford, has Stockholm coming up and she would be playing four weeks in a row,” Scott said. “It was really like trying to pull a rabbit out of the hat.”

Scott, asked if he was most disappointed with Sharapova’s withdrawal, said: “I would say so.”

Said tournament director Raquel Giscafre, “Larry has promised us Sharapova next year. He said he will deliver her to the tournament.”

Giscafre added that he thought the players had not quite grasped the concept of the U.S. Open series.

Scott said the withdrawals would cost Sharapova and Serena $100,000 in a contract with the WTA.

But it’s not much consolation to the fans, to current sponsors and potential sponsors, or Giscafre, who noted the tournament’s investment of $2.5 million-plus to become a Tier I event.

“This was a pretty impossible situation and we really need to discuss it,” Scott said. “Money is the big motivator for players, as is ranking and seeding. We’re hoping the U.S. Open series, which is still young, can help the situation. We’ll see what happens the rest of the season.”

Mulling It Over

The late-night interviews between reporters and UCLA finalist Gilles Muller turned out to be entertaining sessions.

Who knew the 22-year-old from Luxembourg was such a live wire? There is more Marat Safin in him than anyone would guess, as you might figure from the nickname Muller suggested for himself: “the Crazy One.”

“Now, I was calm in my last matches, but normally, sometimes, I’m going a little bit nuts on the court,” he said. “You can ask my girlfriend. She thinks I’m crazy. She’s here now with me and now after only one week she’s already tired of me.”

He says he speaks “four and a half” languages, and joked that Spanish was the half.

The loss to Agassi on Sunday was his second ATP final, and his ranking went up 16 spots to No. 59 this week. Muller is probably is best known for beating Rafael Nadal of Spain in the second round at Wimbledon this year.

But the left-hander said his parents, Marcel, a postal worker, and Miriam, a housewife, seldom watched him play in person.

“It’s too much for them,” Muller said. “My father is getting too nervous when I’m playing, and he’s smoking. And if I’m playing, he’s smokes like a factory. I don’t want him to go anymore.”

Notable

Tickets went on sale last week for Agassi’s 10th Grand Slam for Children benefit concert at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Oct. 1. Tickets are available via www.ticketmaster.com or www.mgmgrand.com.

Times staff writer Diane Pucin contributed to this report from Carlsbad.