Elena Rybakina recently blasted the WTA for 'taking away' a first-round bye from her at the 2023 Japan Open, and Rennae Stubbs backed her.
Elena Rybakina will play at the WTA 500 event in Tokyo, but despite being the third seed, the Kazakhstani player will be contesting the first round. The reason for it is simple but complicated in its nature.
The WTA is testing a so-called performance bye, which is essentially a bye given to players that did well at an event in the previous week. So, for example, Maria Sakkari played in the Guadalajara final, and she got a first-round bye at the Japan Open due to that despite it belonging to somebody like Rybakina.
The Kazakhstani player will play Linda Noskova in the opening round, and she wasn't really happy with it. She blasted the WTA for 'changing rules' at the last moment, and she's right. It's not the first time Rybakina called out the WTA for something which is unusual for the rather soft-spoken and unproblematic Rybakina.
Her comments got a lot of support, especially from former player Rennae Stubbs, who doesn't like the concept either.
I agree 100% with Rybakina! You pick your own schedule. You know what you’re risking, seeds should not be hurt for not playing the tournament the week before. @wta.
It's a trial for now, but perhaps it becomes a rule down the stretch. It probably wouldn't get many approvals among the players because byes were always reserved for seeds, which seems fair. As Stubbs said, players pick their own schedule and should prepare for some unwanted outcomes if they're not calculated about it.
But there it is, Rybakina will have to play the round one match whether she likes it or not. Shouldn't matter much but it would be quite controversial if she somehow loses it.
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