Sabalenka May Skip Dubai Championships Following Director's Remarks
Aryna Sabalenka has indicated she might not return to compete at the Dubai Tennis Championships after she and Iga Swiatek faced strong criticism from the tournament director for withdrawing from the event last month.
During her pre-tournament press conference at the Miami Open, Sabalenka expressed her disapproval of the director's comments.
“I think it’s ridiculous,” Sabalenka said. “I don’t think he showed himself in the best way possible. For me it’s actually so sad to see that the tournament directors and the tournaments are not protecting us as a player. They just care about their sellings, about their tournament and that’s it. His comment was ridiculous. I’m not sure if I ever want to go there after his comment. For me it’s too much.”
The tournament director, Salah Tahlak, had criticized last-minute withdrawals from events, including suggesting stronger penalties such as ranking points deductions.
“I think there should be a harsher punishment on the players, not just fines, they should be docked ranking points.”
Sabalenka clarified during her Miami Open press conference on Tuesday that her decision not to compete in February was motivated by a desire to maintain her physical and mental health amid a demanding tennis schedule.
She withdrew from both the Dubai and Doha WTA 1000 events in February, prior to the escalation of the US-Israel conflict with Iran and the subsequent regional crisis. Her decision proved beneficial as she secured her first Indian Wells title last week.
“Going into this season, we decided we were going to prioritise my health and make sure that we have these little gaps in the schedule where I can just reset, recharge, work and be better prepared for bigger tournaments. I feel like scheduling is going crazy and I feel like that’s why you see so many players are injured, always taped and not delivering the best quality matches because it’s almost impossible,” she said.
Jack Draper Continues Comeback at Miami Open
Jack Draper is among the players struggling with the demanding tennis calendar. He is continuing his return to competition this week at the Miami Open after a seven-month hiatus due to bone bruising in his left arm.
Draper acknowledges that his recovery and return to top form will be a gradual process, despite his recent progress at Indian Wells where he achieved a notable victory over Novak Djokovic in a high-quality three-set night match, advancing to the quarter-finals.
“When you have the injury you had, you start to look ahead, you start to think big picture. It’s easy to play week after week after week, and chase the points and chase the ranking and what you need to do, but at the end of the day I want to have a long career. I want to be able to achieve all the things I want to, and I won’t be able to do that if ultimately my body’s not where I want it to be,” Draper said.
“I think it will be a process for a little while for me and I’ve accepted that and that’s OK. Who knows how I’ll get on with my tennis, I think I’m improving all the time, I’m getting better. I’m not putting too much pressure on myself to feel a certain way or to be getting the kind of results that maybe I wanted to early on last year when I was really climbing, but I know that will come soon.”
Despite his strong performance at Indian Wells, Draper’s inability to defend his title caused him to drop out of the top 20 rankings. Previously ranked men’s world No 4 before his injury, the 24-year-old is seeded 25th at the Miami Open this week, where he has received a first-round bye.
With Cameron Norrie also performing well at Indian Wells—reaching the quarter-finals after defeating No 6 Alex de Minaur—Norrie has surpassed Draper as the British No 1 this week. Their ranking rivalry sparked some friendly banter in California.
“In the press after I played Novak, they said: ‘You’re still going to be British No 1, and that was the first time I thought about it.’ So I messaged him and said I’m still holding on to it for a little bit longer,” Draper said. “It’s not like a competition, I’m really happy to see Cam back playing good tennis and playing at a great level.”
