uses her Special Ranking. If a player exceeds the maximums in this Section VIII.C, she will forfeit any ranking points she earned at all WTA Tournaments, Grand Slams, and ITF Tournaments in which she used her Special Ranking that exceed those maximums. 

k. Missed Tournament Ranking Point Replacement 

A player who during her Out-of-Competition Period misses any Tournament(s) that must count as one (1) of her best sixteen (16) Tournament results in calculating her WTA Ranking may replace any zero (0) ranking point results for such Tournament(s) with the results she obtains at Tournaments after her Return to Competition only after she has sixteen (16) Tournaments comprising her WTA Singles Ranking. 

l. Abuse of Special Ranking 

If at any time WTA determines in its sole discretion that a player has abused or is abusing her Special Ranking status, WTA has the authority to (i) revoke the player’s Special Ranking; (ii) revoke any ranking points the player earned from the abuse of her Special Ranking status; and (iii) penalize the player under Section XVII.D.13.b. A player is entitled to appeal any penalty issued under this Section VIII.C.5.l in accordance with Section XVII.D.13.c and Section XVII.G, as applicable. 

## 6. Exhibition/Non-WTA Event Waiver 

Any Player subject to this Special Ranking Rule may apply to the WTA for a waiver to participate in one (1) Exhibition/Non-WTA Event (as defined in Section XVII.E) that will not restart her Out-of-Competition Period or start her Return to Competition, which application the WTA may grant in its sole and absolute discretion. A player must submit a waiver request, applicable medical documentation, and medical clearance from her doctor. All materials are requested thirty (30) days in advance but must be received by the WTA no later than one (1) day prior to the Exhibition/Non-WTA Event. 

The WTA may consider such waiver requests according to the individual circumstances presented. In considering whether to grant a waiver, the WTA may take into account, among other factors, (i) the current length of a player’s Out-of-Competition Period, (ii) the timing of the Exhibition/Non-WTA Event in comparison to the player’s planned Return to Competition, and (iii) the format of the Exhibition/Non-WTA Event, the number of days over which it is scheduled, and the number of matches the player is likely to play. As a general rule, waivers may be granted more freely in cases of bona fide charity events, bona fide team competitions, events with Pro-Am formats, and events with non-traditional tennis scoring. 

