Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek withdraw from 2026 Dubai Championships

Friday, 13 February 2026 at 19:35

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byErik Virostko

The 2026 Dubai Championships will be held without two of the biggest stars of the sport after Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek both withdrew from the WTA 1000 event.

For a few years now, tennis players have been complaining about the current schedule. They think there are way too many tournaments they have to compete in, which then makes it impossible to stay healthy and in form throughout a season.

So far, the ATP and WTA have not really listened to those calls, and in recent times, it's become much more frequent to see the best players withdrawing from events. That also happened ahead of the upcoming Dubai Championships.

The world No. 1 player on the WTA Tour, Aryna Sabalenka, withdrew from the Qatar Open in Doha some time ago, and she has now also withdrawn from the Dubai Tennis Championships, which is the second of the two WTA 1000 events held during the Middle Eastern swing.

Sabalenka released a short statement to explain her withdrawal, but she only mentioned that she was not feeling at "100%," which is why she withdrew from the event.

"I'm really sorry I have to withdraw from Dubai. I have such a special connection with the tournament, the fans and the city. Unfortunately, I am not feeling 100%. But I hope to be back next year and wish the tournament a great event."

As if the news couldn't get any worse for the tournament organizers in Dubai, the world No. 2 player announced her withdrawal as well. Despite competing in Doha, where she is a three-time champion, Iga Swiatek announced her withdrawal from the Dubai Championships as well.

Swiatek, similarly to Sabalenka, didn't blame her withdrawal on an injury or any other health issue. The Polish player mentioned a "change of schedule" as a reason for her withdrawal.

"I am sorry to announce that I will not be playing Dubai this year due to a change of schedule. I hope I will come back next year to experience the great tournament. See you guys in Indian Wells."

The growing number of withdrawals should certainly worry both the ATP and the WTA. If the tournament organizers aren't able to have the best players in the world in their fields, they might struggle to sell enough tickets to profit from the organization, which might further create problems.

At the same time, there doesn't seem to be a change that could solve the problem. Many of the tournaments have contracts for years to come, and a complex calendar change would require a few years. On top of that, it seems like any shortening of the calendar isn't planned at the moment, as there will be a new ATP Masters 1000 event held in Saudi Arabia starting in 2028.