Director of WTA Dubai Calls for Sanctions on Swiatek and Sabalenka for Not Participating: "Take Points Away from Them in the Ranking"

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The director of the WTA 1000 Dubai, Salah Tahlak, is not pleased that the top two players in the world, Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek, are skipping his tournament, the second WTA 1000 event of the season following Doha. Both the Polish and Belarusian players announced last Friday that they would not be participating in the Middle East tournament.

As expected, this news did not sit well with the tournament director, who sees the top attractions of the WTA circuit absent from his event. Sabalenka cited not being "100%" after reaching the final in Australia while Swiatek, who made it to the quarterfinals in WTA Doha, mentioned a "schedule change" as her reason for missing out.

However, for Salah Tahlak, these explanations were not convincing enough, leading him to call on the WTA to impose sanctions for skipping his tournament, as confirmed in an interview with The National.

Director of WTA Dubai Expresses Frustration Over Absences of Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek

"It was an unfortunate surprise last night to receive news of Aryna and Iga's withdrawal. The reasons for their withdrawals were somewhat strange. Iga mentioned she wasn't mentally prepared to compete, while Sabalenka said she had some minor injuries."

"So I don't know. I think there should be a harsher penalty for players withdrawing, not just fines, but also a deduction of ranking points. Even I asked the tournament doctor what the injury was. He said it was minor and wouldn't have forced her out of the tournament. And regarding Iga, I asked her, 'Isn't this a strange decision?'"

Economic Fine Deemed Insufficient

"I think a fine won't solve anything; players should have points deducted. A fine won't serve any purpose. Many years ago, Serena Williams withdrew and received a $100,000 fine. But what is $100,000 to them? They could play elsewhere and earn a million dollars. So, the fine isn't much."

"We have a meeting coming up in Rome, and I want to clarify this issue. We have a representative from the international tournament group speaking on our behalf to the WTA. It's a shame that we are spending these huge amounts on improving our facilities, and in the end, the players are the main part of this tournament."

It is worth noting that the WTA 1000 Dubai is one of the ten mandatory events in the women's circuit. Withdrawing from a mandatory tournament carries several consequences, as per the WTA regulations, including financial fines (which could increase for repeat offenders) and receiving zero points in the ranking.

Players claiming injuries must consult a tournament doctor to confirm their physical condition, while players can withdraw with a "schedule change" reason three times per season, resulting in a penalty of zero points but no fine.
 

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, El director del WTA Dubái pide sanciones a Swiatek y Sabalenka por no participar: "Que les quiten puntos en el ranking"