The women's tennis circuit is to be shortened next year in an effort to give the players a longer off-season, the tour's governing body has announced.

In what is being called "Roadmap 2010", the traditional season-ending Fed Cup final will be moved from November to September, extending the off-season from five to seven weeks.

When the Australian Open moves back a week in the calendar in 2007, the off-season will be extended to eight weeks.

Larry Scott, chief executive officer of the WTA Tour, said the changes, which also include a series of marquee top events and a simplified ranking system, will boost the global appeal of the sport.

"Our ultimate goal is to increase the popularity of the sport by building exciting rivalries and better packaging the sport," Scott said in a statement on Thursday.

"The way we're going to do that is through a cooperative agreement we've reached with the International Tennis Federation (ITF). The Fed Cup final will be moving from after The (Tour) Championship to the week after the U.S. Open.

"That means...the season will end for professional women's tennis at our (Tour) Championship in Los Angeles."

ITF president Francesco Ricci Bitti said the move would benefit players and fans alike.

"This is a positive step for women's tennis and extends a long-running and successful relationship between our two organisations," Ricci Bitti said.

"Between us, the ITF and WTA Tour have achieved a shorter calendar that is a definite benefit for the players, and have also, among other important matters, secured a stronger date, for the players and the organisers, for the Fed Cup final within the calendar from 2005."