The 2023 WTA Finals have officially begun in Cancun, Mexico.
This event is considered one of the premier tennis events of the year, only the Grand Slam tournaments are more important.
Yet, the WTA delayed the selection of the location, to the point that the stadium was still being constructed in Cancun when the players arrived.
The players did not have much time to practice on the court; they had to practice on hotel courts.
Conditions vary from court to court, and since this event has the top eight players and doubles teams in the world, there are no easy matches or time to get acclimated to the court during the round-robin matches.
World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka spoke out about the WTA’s planning of the event.
Aryna Sabalenka says the court at WTA Finals is another level of disrespect from the WTA:
“Honestly, it’s another level of disrespect from the WTA for the players. Sometimes, I don’t even feel safe to move on this court. That’s not the level I expect from the WTA Finals. Thank… pic.twitter.com/Ca1IKJAzkw
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) October 30, 2023
“Honestly, it’s another level of disrespect from the WTA for the players. .. That’s not the level I expect from the WTA Finals. Thank you for this challenge I’m facing right now of having to learn to adapt quickly to the conditions. Thank you for that. But this is not something I expect from such a high level tournament.”
Elena Rybakina also alluded to the slipshod nature with which this event was put together.
Elena Rybakina says the court at WTA Finals is ‘not good’ for the top 8 women in the world:
“Overall, it’s not easy here. Everyone is struggling. Everyone is trying to do their best. As I said, I’m not really happy with the conditions & the set up of the tournament.. About the… pic.twitter.com/lJb9DtOUH2
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) October 30, 2023
Last year’s WTA Finals were in Fort Worth, Texas, and similar planning issues were prevalent.
The men’s ATP Finals are on the calendar and planned to precision; it is time for the WTA to level up and give that same level of effort and courtesy to the female athletes so they feel confident and able to compete at their best possible level.
The ATP men finals in Turin very organized and sells out. The WTA scrambles to find a site for the women. Last year in Fort Worth Texas was horrible. This year Cancun the players got little preparation to play on the court.
— OrvilleLloydDouglas🇨🇦🏳️🌈 (@OrvilleLloyd) October 30, 2023
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