Aryna Sabalenka, close to her debut in Miami Open on Thursday, spoke in the press conference about the words said by Dubai Championship director Salah Tahlak, who directly pointed at Sabalenka and then World No. 2 Iga Swiatek for withdrawing from the WTA 1000 tournament. Tahlak said that their reasons for retiring were "strange" and that there should be a harsher punishment on the players who skip tournaments, including docking ranking points.
"I think it's ridiculous. 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 not protecting us as players", said the Belarusian player, who cited a minor injury for skipping the tournament.
"They just care about their (sales), 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."
Sabalenka made headlines at the beginning of the season that she preferred to risk monetary sanctions to skip some tournaments. She repeated herself: "Going into this season, we decided ... to prioritise my health and make sure we have these little gaps in the schedule where I can reset, recharge, work and be better prepared for bigger tournaments".
WTA obligues top players to compete in all four Grand Slams, 10 WTA 1000 tournaments and at least six WTA 500 events. Many players have complained about the demanding calendar, which increases risk of injuries. Late last season, the number of injuries increased.