The reigning queen of Wimbledon, Marketa Vondrousova, is among the vocal critics decrying the conditions at the ongoing WTA Finals.
The Women’s Tennis Association has owned up to the “difficult circumstances” players are grappling with at the WTA Finals in the sunny but contentious Cancun, Mexico.
Tennis’s top echelon, Aryna Sabalenka, expressed feeling slighted by the organizers, while Vondrousova aired out that the WTA seemed to turn a blind eye to the athletes’ sentiments.
In an apologetic note to the players that Sport News Center got a glimpse of, WTA head honcho Steve Simon conceded that the event’s setting has left much to be desired.
“Let me be clear, your dissatisfaction with landing in Cancun has not fallen on deaf ears. I get it, and we’re taking it on the chin,” Simon penned.
He admitted, “The event isn’t hitting the high notes we aimed for, we recognize the hurdles the venue has presented, and the WTA will shoulder the blame for this.”
The eleventh-hour naming of Cancun as the host, a mere few weeks prior to the first serve, was a fallback after negotiations with Saudi Arabia hit a wall for the 2023 Finals.
The erratic bounce on the main court of the Mexican retreat has raised eyebrows, and the fact that the court’s doors swung open for practice a mere day before the tournament served up added to the grievances.
A cohort of top-tier players had already volleyed a complaint to Simon the previous month, signaling a growing unrest with the tour’s direction.
This latest correspondence from Simon came on the heels of two in-person pow-wows with the players.
Beyond tackling the WTA Finals’ subpar setup, Simon vowed to revisit the roster of mandatory tournaments for players in the 2024 season.
He’s also green-lighting a Player Survey for each event in the upcoming year and has set the stage for discussions on a possible guaranteed yearly income for players—a nod to the ATP Tour’s recent move.
Simon underscored other top-of-the-list items, such as ensuring uniformity in the tennis ball brand across tournaments and stepping up the game in social media outreach for the tour.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about WTA Finals Controversy
Why have players criticized the WTA Finals in Cancun?
Players have criticized the WTA Finals due to the challenging conditions of the venue, which include an inconsistent bounce on the center court and the court being available for practice only one day before the event started.
What has the WTA’s response been to the criticism?
The WTA, through its chief executive Steve Simon, has acknowledged the less-than-ideal conditions at the Cancun event, accepting full responsibility and committing to addressing the concerns raised by the players, including revising the number of mandatory events and considering a guaranteed minimum income.
Has the WTA made any promises to address players’ concerns?
Yes, Steve Simon has promised to re-evaluate the number of mandatory events for 2024, introduce a Player Survey at each event next year, discuss a guaranteed annual minimum income, ensure consistency in tennis ball brands, and improve social media promotion of the tour.
What were the reasons behind the last-minute venue change to Cancun for the WTA Finals?
The change to Cancun was a last-minute decision made after negotiations between the WTA and Saudi Arabia did not result in an agreement for the 2023 Finals.
More about WTA Finals Controversy
- WTA Finals Players’ Conditions Critique
- WTA’s Acknowledgment and Response
- WTA Chief’s Commitments for Future Tournaments
- Cancun as the Last-Minute WTA Finals Venue
5 comments
simon says they’ll fix things… let’s see if they follow through, action speaks louder than words folks
Sabalenka feeling disrespected is a big deal, she’s world number one for a reason. the WTA better step up their game after this fiasco
isnt it a bit late to make a venue change? someone didnt plan this very well did they
Wow can’t believe the WTA dropped the ball like that, Cancun is great for vacations not so much for pro tennis it seems
first the court’s not ready then the players are unhappy? what’s going on with the organization here, get it together WTA