Wta Finals, the initial idyll is already a distant memory: there is nothing but fighting in Cancun, an undignified spectacle.
All in white exceptIga Swiatek, neatly arranged in rows on the foreshore, the champions of the women’s circuit seemed so happy that they touched the sky with one finger. Ready to battle it out to win the title of strongest player of the year, but most of all proud to be there toCancun
That idyll, alas, was very short-lived.MAll kinds of things are going on in Mexicoand we can say, with good reason, that no edition of theWta Finalshas ever been more tormented than the one being played these days. Bickering is the order of the day, reasoning that tension cuts deep. But the bickering is not the tennis players-at least that one-who are putting up a united front, indeed, to make their voices heard. In the crosshairs, if anything, would be theWomen Tennis Association, toward which all the competing champions have been pointing fingers in recent hours.
The first to be heard wasAryna Sabalenka, who entrusted her lengthy outburst to social media. “I have to say,” says a passage extrapolated from her post, “that I am really disappointed so far with the Wta and my experience at the Finals. I really feelnot respectedby the association. I think a lot of us feel that way.This is not the level of organization that we expect from the Finals To be honest, I don’t feel safe moving on the court most of the time: the rebounding is not smooth and we were not able to practice on this court until yesterday. It’s not at all acceptable to me with all that this tournament is worth and how much is at stake. “
Wta Finals, players on a rampage
She was echoed by Wimbledon 2022 winner,Elena Rybakina, who repeatedly laughed on the court, during the match she lost toJessica Pegula, because she was incredulous that the court was in that state. She later admitted in a press conference that she struggled to adapt to the environment because it was totallyinadequate
‘So sad for all of us’
Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova uses her Instagram again, joins Sabalenka in critics about the conditions at the @WTAFinals
Shocking to see this in the most important event of the year for the WTA. pic twitter.com/9i7HPndxvG
– José Morgado (@josemorgado) October 31, 2023
EvenMarketa Vondrousova, a few hours ago, posted on Instagram a video explaining the situation in Cancun, giving Sabalenka and Rybakina a helping hand. According to them, the court that is hosting the Finals would be hastily put up. The surface would be completely uneven and the ball would not bounce, as a result, as it should.
The few seats, roughly 4,000, would then infuriate the players even more. Who, among other things, were only able to test the field for a handful of minutes before the event went live. In short, this is more talked about than the matches themselves. And that’s a real shame, because never before have the Wta Finals loomedagguerritissime