The WTA “lacks respect” for the world’s top eight players, No. 1 Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka said earlier this week, offering them a place in the circuit finals where they “don’t feel safe “.
“I have to thank you for this challenge, which is to adapt quickly to the playing conditions. Thank you for everything. “But that’s not what I expect from such a tough tournament,” Sabalenka said on her Instagram account after defeating Greece’s Maria Sakkari 6-0, 6-1 on Sunday.
The WTA Finals will be held in Cancun, Mexico this year. The venue was decided last month as no city had signed up to host the best of the women’s tournament. The contract has a term of one year.
“In the last minute”
Last season, the eight best players in Texas competed in front of an anemic crowd.
The WTA has ruled out the possibility of hosting the Masters in Saudi Arabia.
The idea sparked controversy during the US Open, particularly among former players Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert.
“I don’t really want to discuss the site [à Cancún]although of course he is not very good,” added Kazakh Elena Rybakina, fourth in the world and 2022 Wimbledon champion.
“Everything was done last minute and there wasn’t enough time to make corrections.”
“This is not acceptable”
According to Sabalenka, players were only allowed to practice on the court the day before the opening of the Masters.
“This is unacceptable to me when the stakes are so high,” she complained, emphasizing that her criticism was directed “at the WTA and not at the local organizers of the tournament.”
The Czech Marketa Vondrousova, winner of Wimbledon in July, expressed her disappointment with how her first participation in this championship went.
“It’s a disappointment,” wrote the sixth-best player in the world on Instagram. The stadium is not ready for games. I get the impression that the people at the WTA are not interested in how we should play and feel on this court.
“We don’t have the impression that we are being listened to and that they are interested in our opinion. It’s very sad.”
– With AFP