Aryna Sabalenka feels ‘disrespected’ by WTA at ‘unsafe’ Cancun finale
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka claimed players were not allowed to practise on the WTA Finals court in Cancun until the day before the opening.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Follow topic:
CANCUN – World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka said she feels “disrespected” by tennis’ governing body and claimed the hastily built court being used for the WTA Finals at the Mexican resort of Cancun is “not safe”.
Sabalenka eased past Greece’s Maria Sakkari 6-0, 6-1 in her group-stage opener on Sunday but that did not prevent her from taking aim at the organisation.
“I have to say that I am very disappointed with the WTA and the experience so far at the WTA Finals,” the 25-year-old from Belarus wrote on Instagram.
“As a player I feel disrespected by the WTA. I think most of us do. 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.”
Sabalenka claimed players were not allowed to practise on the court until the day before the opening, adding: “It’s just not acceptable to me with so much on the line and with so much at stake.”
Cancun was confirmed as the host city of the prestigious season-ending championship only on Sept 7 after Saudi Arabia had reportedly been lined up to stage the event.
That possibility sparked criticism from legends Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert among others.
Instead, the tournament has returned to Mexico for the second time in three years,
Sabalenka said her criticism of the event was aimed at the WTA, not the local organisers.
“I definitely want to show my appreciation for the local tournament organisers, everyone that built the court at the last minute, and everyone that’s working here at the event,” she wrote. “I know it’s not their fault.”
On court on Sunday, Sabalenka, who captured 2023’s Australian Open title,
Sakkari saved three match points to hold serve in the penultimate game but fell after 74 minutes.
Meanwhile, American Jessica Pegula defeated Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina 7-5, 6-2 in 83 minutes in the other singles group-stage match at the US$9 million (S$12.3 million) outdoor hard-court showdown.
Two groups of four players will compete in round-robin matches till Friday with the two-top finishers in each group advancing to Saturday’s semi-finals. The final will be on Sunday.
Sabalenka is trying to hold off second-ranked Iga Swiatek, the reigning French Open champion from Poland, to claim the year-end No. 1 ranking.
She can clinch the top spot by going 2-1 in the group stage and reaching the final, no matter what Swiatek does. Sabalenka’s opening win means the Poles must win the title to have a chance of ending the season at the summit.
In 2023, Sabalenka was the runner-up at the US Open and reached the semi-finals at Wimbledon and the French Open. She also won WTA titles at Madrid and Adelaide.
She became world No. 1 after her run to the US Open final in September, ending Swiatek’s 75-week reign.
Meanwhile, at the ATP Paris Masters, US Open semi-finalist Ben Shelton became the first significant casualty in the French capital on Monday.
The 16th-ranked 21-year-old from the United States fell in the opening round to Spain’s world No. 28 Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 7-6 (7-4), 5-7, 6-3.
The 14th-ranked American Frances Tiafoe also lost, succumbing 6-3, 6-4 to Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan. AFP
