Sabalenka firmly responds to the Dubai tournament director: "Your comments were painful"

Aryna Sabalenka has decided not to remain silent and respond, several weeks later, to statements that caused a lot of controversy. These were signed by Salah Talak, the director of the WTA 1000 of Dubai, who in turn reacted to the withdrawals of Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka days before his event began. The Emirates tournament, part of a demanding February, suffered the absence of, at that time, the world's number one and two... and good old Salah, of course, spoke with the hot blood of someone who sees his product losing quality.

In a burst of honesty, but perhaps completely out of place, the tournament director was unable to put himself in the shoes of the players, exhausted in a calendar that squeezes four WTA 1000 tournaments in just over a month and a half, and called for "stricter sanctions" for those players who withdraw from these types of events weeks or days in advance. The Emirati seemed unaffected by possible injuries, fatigue, or accumulated tiredness that could indeed lead to a poor performance in his tournament: he even ventured to suggest that such withdrawals should be penalized with a significant point deduction in the WTA rankings.

These words, obviously, made headlines worldwide: they were a real poisoned dart towards Iga and Aryna, the two stars of a circuit that squeezes them like a golden goose. Without the Polish and the Belarusian, the tournament proceeded normally, was won by Jessica Pegula... and time ended up proving Sabalenka right: that break in February (she also didn't play in Doha) has been crucial in arriving at Indian Wells and Miami in great shape, with mental and physical freshness, evidenced by the title conquest in the desert a couple of days ago.

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Sabalenka replied fiercely to the Dubai tournament director: here were her words, casting doubt on her participation in that tournament in future editions

The forcefulness and selfishness of Salah's words could lead to a complete boycott by Aryna in future seasons, a situation reminiscent of the Williams sisters' boycott of Indian Wells. When asked in the lead-up to the Miami Open 2026 about these statements, the Belarusian's words, as reflected in The Guardian, are full of pain, anger, and even a certain sense of disappointment.

"His comments were ridiculous. I don't think he portrayed himself in the best light possible. To me, it's quite sad to see that tournament directors and tournaments in general do not protect us as players. They care only about their numbers, their sales, focus on their tournament, and that's it. What he said was shameful. After that comment, I don't know if I want to go back there. For me, he crossed the line." Little to add, of course, when the words are this strong.

However, the Belarusian took the opportunity to delve into the reasons for her absence, with the sole mission of preserving her physical well-being and prioritizing her mental health in an exhausting calendar. "When planning this season, we decided that I would prioritize my health and ensure there were some gaps in my schedule where I could rest, recharge, work, and improve for bigger tournaments. I feel the calendar is going crazy, that's why you see so many injured players, always wearing bandages, unable to produce matches of the highest level, because it's almost impossible," emphasized the world number one, once again bearing a burden that seems not to please the female locker room. Is Aryna right in her complaint? Will Salah retaliate? We will see in the coming days.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Sabalenka responde con firmeza al director del torneo de Dubái: "Sus comentarios fueron penosos"