Elena Rybakina used her practice session to expose the turbulent weather conditions in Cancun as she prepared for her debut appearance at the WTA Finals.
Rybakina held a practice session on Friday in one of the hotel courts which are being used as makeshift practice courts for the players because the tournament couldn't meet Thursday's deadline of completing the construction of the main stadium court for the WTA Finals.
Coincidentally, it was on an unpleasantly windy day when Rybakina chose to practice and was visibly struggling with her ball toss and serve. The 24-year-old was unimpressed with the weather conditions and took a sarcastic dig at the tournament by sharing a post on Instagram.
"Great conditions for practice."— Rybakina wrote on her Instagram story, inserting laughing emojis
The 2023 season finale will begin on Sunday, October 29, with matches from the group stage. Rybakina and the rest of the field have learned the identity of their opponents and their path to the title. The Kazakh will battle familiar foe Aryna Sabalenka, USA's Jessica Pegula, and Greece's Maria Sakkari in the Bacalar Group.
But with the clock ticking, the tournament personnel is hastily putting the final touches on the main stadium which will host all the matches. At the start of the week, construction of the stands was far from complete and the court had not even been painted.
Tennis fans have been dismayed at how operations are being run within the WTA quarters. Reports suggest that WTA players competing in singles and doubles competitions will only have one day of practice before the start of the tournament.
The latest pictures from Cancun show that the tournament organizers have furnished the stadium court in record time. The court has been painted and the Electronic line sensors are being laid out. The seats are now intact from the interior.