Steve Simon provides more details behind the tour's new rules regarding maternity leave, special seeding, and the evolution of the tour's attire rules.

WTA Insider: Let’s start with the process. What is the process behind making changes to the rulebook?

Simon: It's an exhaustive process to say the least, even for the most simple rule changes. Proposals or changes to the rules come from a variety of origins. In our player meetings they will bring up issues and we will look at them as they apply to the rules. The tournament meetings have their take on things. And clearly our staff members who implement the rules and monitor and manage the rules, always come up with things where they're finding issues with the rules as we go forward. 

Once that rule is brought forth, it goes to the rules committee, which is made up of player and tournament representation. It's a subcommittee of our board and staff and they will review the request and the current rules in the book and come up with potential language that would address the issue that was brought up.

If the rules committee feels that rule and the language is something appropriate for consideration, it then has the player council and tournament council review it and provide their respective feedback. Where appropriate we'll also get constituency feedback, meaning individual players and/or tournaments and/or outside parties that are appropriate. Then we'll bring that feedback back to the rules committee to consider, and it will come to an agreement as to whether it wishes to recommend the rule for approval to the board or not.