The world's top eight players who will contest this year's WTA Finals in Cancun, Mexico, are currently practicing on hotel courts.
But that is not the disturbing news. It is the fact that reports indicate, the eight-woman cohort will only be able to train at the main facility where the main stadium is currently under construction on Saturday, just a day before the start of the tournament.
This latest development will continue to overshadow the prestige and mystique of the premier women's tennis tournament outside the Grand Slams. The whole band arrived, led by Iga Swiatek, the first to land in the resort city of Cancun before the rest of the field swiftly followed.
So far all the players who will vie to win the 2023 WTA Finals have jetted into Mexico and have had at least one practice session within close proximity to the incomplete main stadium.
WTA has reportedly spent a staggering $6 million to furnish the construction of the new stadium which is expected to hold up to 4,000 spectators.
But it looks like that investment has not paid off, as the deadline day of Thursday, October 26, has elapsed. It was expected that the main stadium would be ready by then and that players would be able to acclimatize to the new court and the feel of the place.
As of Thursday, reports emanating from journalists are that players will be able to touch down at the new stadium on Saturday, October 28, at the earliest - just a day before the round-robin phase begins.
This has caused bedlam and chaos, and it will be very interesting to hear what the players have to say in the pre-tournament press conference.
So far, Aryna Sabalenka has been the only player to voice her frustration at the state of playing conditions on social media. The players are currently using hotel courts as makeshift training courts to prepare for the tournament, and truthfully, at this moment, fans are starting to question if the tournament is actually going to take place on the allotted dates.
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