Aryna Sabalenka accuses WTA of ‘disrespecting’ women players
World No 1 Aryna Sabalenka launched a damning criticism of the Women’s Tennis Association, saying she felt “disrespected” by the last-minute organisation of its finals event.
The tour-end finals are taking place this week in Cancun, Mexico, with the top-eight women’s players vying for the most important title outside of the four majors.
Despite its prestigious billing, the build-up to the event has been marred by late changes. There had been expectations that the finals would take place in Saudi Arabia, but instead the Mexican host city was belatedly confirmed in early September. Then the construction of the court in Cancun was only finalised a few days before the tournament began on Sunday.
“I am very disappointed with the WTA and the experience so far at the WTA Finals,” Sabalenka said in a statement on Sunday, speaking after her 6-0, 6-1 thrashing of Greece’s Maria Sakkari in her opening round-robin match. “This is not the level of organisation we expect for the finals.
“To be honest, I don’t feel safe moving on this court a lot of the time,” she added. “The bounce is not consistent at all and we weren’t able to practise on this court until yesterday for the first time. It’s just not acceptable to me with so much on the line and so much at stake. As a player I really feel disrespected by the WTA. I think most of us do.”
Her coach Anton Dubrov reposted her statement on Instagram stories with the caption, “Someone has to take responsibility for that,” and tagged Novak Djokovic’s player union, the Professional Tennis Players Association.
When contacted by The Telegraph, a WTA spokesperson said: “We’re pleased to host the WTA Finals in Cancun for the first time and worked hard to construct a stadium where the world’s top eight women’s tennis players and doubles teams compete head-to-head,” the WTA said in a statement. “The team has worked diligently on an expedited timeline amid weather challenges to ensure the stadium and court meet our strict performance standards. We look forward to this week ahead and playing in front of the energetic fans here in Cancun.”
This is not new territory for the women’s tour. Last year the organisation also struggled to find a venue for the event that is supposed to be the jewel in the crown of the WTA. They eventually settled on Fort Worth, Texas, and the crowds were noticeably sparse.
The late confirmation for host cities over the past couple of seasons has also led to clashes with the Billie Jean King Cup Finals [the team event], which four-time major champion Iga Swiatek previously described as “disappointing”.
This outcome would have been unthinkable only a few years ago, when the tour signed a lucrative 10-year deal to host the finals in Shenzhen, China, from 2019. But the pandemic year and the WTA’s decision to pull all tournaments in China throughout 2022, on account of Peng Shuai’s disappearance, has left this tournament in a constant state of instability.
