PARIS (AFP) - Former world number one Andy Roddick has leapt to the defence of his fellow professionals after Paris Masters organisers reacted bitterly to the withdrawal of tournament draw cards Roger Federer and Andre Agassi.
Officials were furious with the last minute withdrawal of Agassi - who claimed he had a hip injury - and claimed that the nine-event Masters series was discredited by the pullouts.
But Roddick, the top seed here and who skipped the Monte Carlo and Madrid Masters this year, lashed out at those officials who are demanding financial penalties to solve the problem.
"In what other sport do you play 11 months of the year?," asked the American.
"I am going to finish my season on December 5 and start next year on January 5. I would rather pull out of an event than injure myself. If they can't understand the way an athlete works, it's too bad."
Roddick, who has to return to Europe next month for the Davis Cup final in Spain, believes there are too many groups and individuals working against each other to be able to find a workable solution to the problem.
"There are things that should be changed but they will never happen," Roddick told L'Equipe sports daily on Tuesday.
"Too many people are involved in the decision process. They will never all agree because they all want a slice of the cake."
Agassi, twice a champion here and seeded five, told organisers he had injured his right hip in his final defeat in Stockholm at the weekend.
He was immediately joined on the sidelines by Argentina's David Nalbandian, who was to be the eighth seed, who said he had a knee injury.
World number one Federer, former French Open champions Carlos Moya and Juan Carlos Ferrero of Spain and world number five Guillermo Coria of Argentina all pulled out last week leaving five of the world's top ten missing from this tournament.
"The organisers of the Paris Masters deplore these withdrawals which have added to the long list of players absent both from Paris and the Madrid Masters two weeks ago," said a tournament spokesman.
"Whatever the reasons, these withdrawals from the elite ATP tournaments bring discredit to the circuit."
October's Madrid Masters was also hit by high-profile absentees.
Federer, Roddick, Coria and Lleyton Hewitt all failed to play although Agassi did appear.
Tournament director Ion Tiriac said financial penalties should be introduced.
"Take a million from my prize money," he said of his 2.425-million-euro event. "Call it player compensation, put 10 million in the Masters (Cup fund).
"If he doesn't play one of the nine Masters Series tournaments, take away a quarter of his ranking points. If he doesn't play two, it's too bad, he cannot play the Masters Cup, nothing else."
The problem of missing players also surfaced at Monte Carlo in April when Federer, Roddick and Agassi were amongst the absentees.
"How many players should play the Masters Series? Eight? Nine? Ten out of ten is difficult. You can have a real injury, I respect that," said Patrice Dominguez, the deputy director of the Monaco event.
"But let's say seven. If the agreement was eight or nine, then we pay 100,000 dollars less.
"We always commit ourselves to put the prize money on the table; the players don't commit themselves."

11/02/2004 - 12:27 GMT - AFP