Aryna Sabalenka took to the practice courts on Wednesday ahead of the WTA Finals, but the Belarusian star was clearly dismayed at the state of the playing conditions.
Sabalenka used her Instagram account to share her coach's thoughts after finding out that only two practice courts will be available for the players to prepare for the season-ending championships which will begin on Sunday, October 29.
Sabalenka's coach Antonio Dubrov shared a video on his Insta stories while taking charge of the practice session. Dubrov was not happy with the conditions and raised the issue on social media with the caption, "2 practice courts till Saturday. 1 stringer on site."
Ostensibly, complaints about limited practice courts seem unreasonable considering the smaller field at this event. But the news of the main stadium that is expected to host the matches being far from complete is what paints a grim picture for the tournament and the WTA. Tennis fans have been following developments from Cancun with incredulity.
The fact that the World No. 1 has used her platform to voice her frustration at a tournament of this magnitude portrays the dark side of the leadership team within the WTA. Sabalenka barely put her thoughts into words, but the depiction of an exploding head emoji was sufficient to express her shock.
It will be interesting to see the reaction of other players who will play at this tournament in the coming days. So far almost the whole cohort has arrived in Mexico including Iga Swiatek, who was the first to land, and Coco Gauff. Greece's Maria Sakkari is on her way to Cancun having been called to replace the injured Karolina Muchova.
The draw ceremony is expected to take place on Friday, just two days from the official start of round-robin matches in which we are guaranteed a new champion.
0 Comments