Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka have caused a stir at the Dubai Tennis Championships by withdrawing from the Masters event at the last minute.
Both were expected to feature in the tournament, but pulled out just one day before it was due to begin. Their decisions have left organisers frustrated and fans without two of the biggest names in women’s tennis.
Sabalenka has yet to play since her loss in the Australian Open final, having also skipped the Qatar Open. Swiatek, meanwhile, was eliminated in the quarter-finals in Doha.
Now, the director of the Dubai Tennis Championships strongly criticised the two players for choosing to skip his Masters event.
Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek have been told they should lose ranking points
Salah Tahlak, the tournament director, spoke to Arab News, and he did not hold back when asked about Sabalenka and Swiatek’s decision not to play.
Tahlak described their withdrawal as an “unfortunate surprise” and added that their explanations were “a bit strange.”
He said: “Iga said she wasn’t mentally ready to compete, while Sabalenka said she has some minor injuries. So I don’t know.
“I think there should be a harsher punishment on the players [for withdrawing], not just fines, they should be docked ranking points.
“I even asked the [tournament] doctor, what is the injury? He said it’s a minor injury, not one that would force her to withdraw from the tournament. And for Iga, I asked, ‘Isn’t this a strange decision?’
“I think a fine will not do anything. I feel they should deduct points from the players. A monetary fine won’t help. Many years ago, Serena Williams withdrew and was fined $100,000. But what is $100,000?”
Tahlak is not planning to let this issue go quietly. He intends to bring it up at an upcoming WTA meeting in Rome.
He added: “So the fine isn’t a big deal. We have a meeting coming up in Rome and I want to shed light on this issue.
“We have a representative on behalf of the international group [of tournaments] to speak for us with the WTA.
“Because it’s a shame that we’re spending these huge amounts to upgrade our facilities and in the end the players are the main part (of this tournament).”
In their absence, Elena Rybakina and Coco Gauff will step in as the top two seeds in Dubai, while young talents Iva Jovic and Alexandra Eala look set to draw plenty of attention across the Middle East.
How are players currently penalised for missing Masters events?
WTA Masters 1000 tournaments are classified as ‘mandatory’ events, which means players need to provide valid medical reasons to avoid sanctions.
Players who skip these events without a valid reason receive a “zero-pointer,” preventing them from replacing the missed event with a better result elsewhere on their ranking record.
Monetary fines are also possible, but several top players have spoken openly about accepting those fines if it helps manage their schedules.
Sabalenka has cited a hip issue, which could allow her to avoid penalties for missing Dubai. Swiatek, on the other hand, withdrew due to changes in her schedule and may face WTA sanctions as a result.
It is also worth noting that this is not unexpected behaviour from Swiatek. She had already indicated plans to cut back on her schedule in 2025 before the season started.
In an interview with The Guardian last year, she explained: “I would like to try missing maybe two tournaments – maybe the ones I feel I haven’t been playing well at anyway – just spending this time on grinding and getting the technique better.”
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