Howdy, y’all and Happy Tennis Tuesday! I was going to use this week to recap the Middle East swing before the WTA Tour moves to North America but then this past week truly blew up the schedule entirely. Let’s get into it!
First, the WTA 1000 Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships wrapped up over the weekend and what unfolded there was arguably the starkest indicator yet of the sports’ biggest topic — the calendar.
By the time the quarterfinals rolled around, 23 players had either withdrawn before their matches or retired mid-match. That’s not a typo. Out of a 56-player main draw, nearly half the original field was gone before the tournament reached its final stages. Of course, this includes both pre-tournament pullouts. World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka withdrew citing a right hip injury, though she had said that she planned to skip events this year to protect her body after what she called an “insane” schedule. No. 2 Iga Świątek listed a “change of schedule” as her reason, which tournament director Salah Tahlak did not take quietly. Elena Rybakina, the hottest player on tour right now, played but retired in her round of 16 match due to illness. Victoria Mboko, Karolina Muchova, Madison Keys, Zheng Qinwen and Naomi Osaka were among other names that withdrew, too.
Tahlak called for “harsher punishments” for withdrawals, including docking ranking points on top of current fines. It was a predictable response, though not a particularly useful one. Many on social media rightfully called out the organization instead of the tournament. The problem isn’t the players protecting their health, it’s the WTA’s schedule which demands the top-ranked women play 20 tournaments per year across four Grand Slams, ten WTA 1000s, and six WTA 500s. When Qatar and Dubai fall in back-to-back weeks, both as WTA 1000 events, something is going to give. Unfortunately, everything gave in Dubai last week.
The WTA did respond, at least symbolically. On Tuesday of last week, the tour announced the creation of the Tour Architecture Council, a 13-person panel chaired by world No. 5 Jessica Pegula. WTA Tour chair Valerie Camillo acknowledged in the announcement letter that “the current calendar does not feel sustainable for players given the physical, professional, and personal pressures of competing at the highest level.” That’s a significant admission. Whether the council produces real structural change before next season is another question above my pay grade.
Now, while the past in Dubai was alarming, the (present) and future in Mexico is looking quite bleak. Over the weekend, Mexican forces killed “El Mencho,” the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) and one of the most wanted drug traffickers in the world. This has caused cartel members to launch attacks across numerous states in Mexico. This week, the WTA is holding a WTA 500 event in Merida, which is 700 miles away from Jalisco. Sloane Stephens already pulled out of the tournament due to “personal reasons,” while tennis commentator Brett Haber — who was just in the country — advised the tours to cease their events.
Both point to the same underlying issue: a women’s tennis calendar that creates enormous strain on players, tournaments, and now the communities and countries that host events. The schedule asks elite players to be everywhere at once, week after week, with little buffer for injury, illness, or, apparently, geopolitical emergencies.
This is obviously a story unfolding in real time and the tournament is continuing business as usual. I don’t expect the tournament to shut down prematurely, but I am curious how it might impact the ITF World Tour events that take place throughout the country and perhaps the WTA 500 in Guadalajara, which is in Jalisco. That tournament is in September, but could the unrest go that far? Would the WTA be willing to take a gamble when the calendar is already a hot topic? Time will tell.
Until then, on to links!
This Week in Women’s Tennis
While Dubai’s was falling apart, Jessica Pegula continued to get better after seven consecutive semifinals. She defeated Elina Svitolina to win the 10th WTA singles title of her career and fourth at the WTA 1000 level. The doubles title was captured by Gaby Dabrowski and Luisa Stefani, who reunited earlier this year and won their first crown since 2022 with a win over Laura Siegemund and Vera Zvonareva.
Tara Moore, who is serving a four-year doping ban after she blamed contaminated meat in Colombia, has filed a $20 million lawsuit against the WTA for not properly warning her and other players of the risks in the area.
I loved this article detailing Lindsay Davenport and Mary Joe Fernandez bonding and supporting their sons on the Stanford men’s tennis team at the ITA Indoors in Texas last week.
Two Serbian tennis players were provisionally suspended while being investigated for Anti-Corruption charges.
After months of speculation, Emma Raducanu has been announced as the latest ambassador for Uniqlo:
Venus Williams accepted singles and doubles wildcards into the BNP Paribas Open, while the Miami Open entry list was announced.
Fernanda Contreras, who qualified for three consecutive Grand Slams in 2022 but struggled with injuries, announced her retirement:
Serena’s now eligible to return to the WTA whenever she wants and she’s getting some serves in:
Unfortunately, Garner-Webb University is another college program cutting their tennis teams. This one hits home as I taught myself to play the sport on those same courts.
Tweet of the Week
JPeg was killing it on social this week:
Five at The IX: Dubai
Q. With all the fuss that was made of the withdrawals, we ended up with incredible semifinals. Can you look at the week and think what it means for you to go through all that, also a statement of where the women’s game is right now?
JESSICA PEGULA: Yeah, I mean, I was looking at the draw actually. We talked about all these withdrawals. But, I mean, like, we had four top-10 girls in the semis. We had a few more in the quarters.
It just shows you the depth of women’s tennis. It just shows you the level is so high week in and week out. Even when you have a lot of players withdrawing, just because we’re missing a few, it doesn’t mean that we still can’t put on some great tennis.
I think we did that especially last night with some really good matches. The night before, my draw was very hard, it was a really tough draw. I was able to beat a couple top-10 players along the way. It definitely was not a cakewalk by any means.
Like you say, it shows the depth of the game right now. It’s not easy. It’s hard every single week, every single day. Especially in these shorter events where you’re coming back-to-back days, having to battle right away. Not just battle anybody, but girls that are really, really good.
Yeah, super proud of the state our sport is in right now. I think it’s super strong.
Q. Before the year started, did you have a feeling that you could have a year like this? At 31, do you feel like you’re playing the best you’ve ever played?
ELINA SVITOLINA: Well, definitely I didn’t expect at the beginning of the year that I would play that good. I actually went to Auckland to get some matches, just to try to find my rhythm. Yeah, just everything came together. I worked hard.
Also I think that break in September helped me, that month or two helped me to pick up myself mentally. Yeah, I feel like I’m in a good place. I try to look little bit into my game and my mentality from a different side.
Yeah, so far it’s been working well. I feel like I’m improving. I’m ready to face difficult situations. That’s the most important I feel like.
Q. (Question regarding the privacy discussion stemming from the Australian Open.)
COCO GAUFF: Yeah, I definitely do think I didn’t expect it to reach — I knew it might circulate in tennis news. I felt like everywhere I was scrolling, it was me on there.
I mean, at least I felt people weren’t being too rude to me about it. It was more starting the conversation. I felt it’s a conversation that has been on tour, maybe not tour, but at Slams for years, specifically Australian Open. I know Jess has spoke that Maddie has been trying for years. I know the players council has been trying for a while. So it is unfortunate it took that.
Yeah, I felt like this Australian Open, it was just too much. There were people zooming in on people’s phones. It was just a lot. So I definitely think the conversation should be had.
On top of that, there aren’t really many signs around. I think there should be signs. In this tournament I noticed signs ‘there’s broadcast in this area’. That’s helpful for us, because then I know where I need to go if I don’t want to be filmed.
Yeah, it was even as little as like when I’m praying with my dad before the matches, I had to ask someone to not record. We do that before every match.
I definitely think it’s a conversation I would like specifically Australian Open to maybe respond to. My agency did send an email on my behalf to all the slams. They all responded pretty well. But it was really the Australian Open the only one I felt like it was too much. Sorry, I’m talking a lot. I’m glad the conversation started. We’ll see what changes will be made next year.
Q. You come from a very prominent family in the Philippines. You have the sense of humility and down-to-earth-ness despite your socioeconomic background, achievements. To where do you attribute this sense of humility?
ALEXANDRA EALA: I really appreciate those comments. Very kind of you.
Of course, I would attribute that to mostly my family, my parents. They have instilled a very strong set of values in my brother and I. Of course, I would also attribute that to my experiences. I think it helps that I come from the Philippines. I think we have a big sense of community.
How do I put this? Sorry, give me time.
I think another thing is that I always make it a point to be grateful. Coming from where I come from, I’ve seen some serious poverty, I’ve seen serious struggle. Although I haven’t lived through that struggle myself, I’m able to appreciate what I have.
Everyone has struggles in life no matter, like you said, socioeconomic background, wherever you are in life, whatever your status is. Everyone has struggles. I like to be thankful that my family and my parents have sacrificed a lot to have a strong foundation for me and my brother.
Of course, I’ve worked and sacrificed a lot to be where I am. I’m thankful. I try to take everything with gratitude and look at things from a positive outlook when I can.
Q. Have you gotten to watch any Eala matches at all? She’s winning a whole new set of fans. Are other players feeling that, as well?
AMANDA ANISIMOVA: Yeah, I love that, that she has such an incredible fan base. I’ve seen the atmosphere. It’s amazing. I think she’s also such a good representation of her country. I mean, she’s so young and she carries herself so well. It’s so good to see.
I caught a little bit of the beginning of her match last night. Yeah, I stuck around for it because the atmosphere was so great. I normally wouldn’t. But since our hotel is right at the site, was like, Why not? It was kind of getting late. That’s why I ended up leaving early.
Yeah, it was great to see. It’s always fun to be a spectator and not have to have so much stress around a tennis court, just be able to sit back and relax.
Yeah, it was great to see. Good to see her get the win.
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