The Women’s Tennis Association has been accused by world no. 1 Aryna Sabalenka of disrespecting players by holding the current WTA Finals in Cancun.
The renowned end-of-season tournament started on Sunday, and Sabalenka was upset that players couldn’t practice in the makeshift arena until the day before. When she did get a chance to test the surface, she found it to be dangerously uneven.
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“I am really dissatisfied with the WTA and my experience at the WTA Finals thus far. I feel like the WTA is really disrespecting me as a player. In social media, she wrote, “I believe the majority 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, 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.”
Sabalenka overcame her reservations about conditions to beat Maria Sakkari 6-0 6-1 on the first day of the prestigious end-of-season event, which features the top eight women’s players.
“I’m happy that I was able to stay focused tonight, overcome the conditions, and play well,” the Belarusian added.
Preparations for the tournament have been chaotic, with Cancun – the third different venue in as many years – only selected as the venue less than two months ago.
The WTA has been forced to take its flagship competition on the road since Shenzhen became untenable, first because of Covid-19 and then following the disappearance of Chinese player Peng Shuai.
In the other match on Sunday, American Jessica Pegula beat world No4 Elena Rybakina 7-5 6-2.
