{"id":296155,"date":"2023-10-31T20:09:15","date_gmt":"2023-10-31T20:09:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usasportsradar.com\/?p=296155"},"modified":"2023-10-31T20:09:15","modified_gmt":"2023-10-31T20:09:15","slug":"wta-blasted-for-disrespectful-conditions-as-players-band-together-with-demands","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usasportsradar.com\/tennis\/wta-blasted-for-disrespectful-conditions-as-players-band-together-with-demands\/","title":{"rendered":"WTA blasted for ‘disrespectful’ conditions as players band together with demands"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Aryna Sabalenka and Marketa Vondrousova have slammed the conditions at this week\u2019s WTA Finals after the stadium was completed just one day before the tournament started. World No 1 Sabalenka said she felt \u201cdisrespected\u201d by the WTA in an impassioned statement while the Wimbledon champion claimed that the courts were already unfit when they started practising on Sunday.<\/p>\n

Sabalenka slammed the WTA for leaving the construction of the court to the last minute following her opening-round match on Sunday and later took to Instagram to expand on her frustrations. \u201cI’m happy that I was able to stay focused tonight, overcome the conditions, and play well,\u201d the world No 1 wroteafter beating Maria Sakkari.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have to say though that I am very disappointed with the WTA and the experience so far at the WTA Finals. As I said in my press conference tonight, as a player I really feel disrespected by the WTA. I think most of us do. This is not the level of organisation we expect for the Finals. To be honest, I don’t feel safe moving on this court a lot of the time, the bounce is not consistent at all, and we weren’t able to practice on this court until yesterday for the first time. It’s just not acceptable to me with so much on the line and so much at stake.\u201d<\/p>\n

In a statement on Tuesday, the WTA said: \u201cWe\u2019re pleased to host the WTA Finals in Cancun for the first time and worked hard to construct a stadium where the world\u2019s top eight women\u2019s tennis players and doubles teams compete head-to-head. The team has worked diligently on an expedited timeline amid weather challenges to ensure the stadium and court meet our strict performance standards. We look forward to this week ahead and playing in front of the energetic fans here in Cancun.\u201d<\/p>\n

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But Sabalenka isn\u2019t the only player to hit out at the court at this year\u2019s WTA Finals, where the host city was selected just six weeks prior to the start of the tournament. Vondrousova – who qualified for the first time – also took to Instagram where she claimed that players didn\u2019t feel as though the women\u2019s tour was listening to them.<\/p>\n

The world No 6 wrote: \u201cMy first WTA Finals is not at all what I imagined. We work hard all year to get to the Finals and in the end it\u2019s just a disappointment. Stadium is not at all ready for the matches and to me it feels like the people from WTA are absolutely not interested in how we- who are supposed to play on that court feel. We do not feel that anyone listens to us and is interested in our opinion. Very sad.\u201d<\/p>\n

Vondrousova also elaborated on the issues with the court. \u201cThere are terrible bumps. If you want to play it quickly, it’s not possible at all. It bounces all over the place. With her spins, it’s hard to chase it there. I think the court is really bad,\u201d she told Radiozurnal Sport.<\/p>\n