Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek ‘should be stripped of ranking points’ | Tennis | Sport
Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka have been told they should have ranking points taken off them (Image: Getty)
Dubai Tennis Championships tournament director Salah Tahlak has called for players to face harsher punishments than just fines if they withdraw from events. Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek both withdrew on Friday from one of the 10 mandatory WTA 1000 tournaments, where players face penalties for missing.
The tour’s rulebook allows them to impose fines and ‘zero-pointers’ on players, but players who use one of their three chances to cite a ‘change of schedule,’ as Swiatek has, avoid any monetary penalties. Sabalenka’s official reason for withdrawing was a right hip injury, which a tournament doctor confirmed.
Both of their withdrawals caught Tahlak off guard. The tournament director was not best pleased and thinks they both should have ranking points taken away to prevent situations like this from happening again.
He said: “It was an unfortunate surprise to get news of the withdrawal of Aryna and Iga. And the reasons for withdrawal were a bit strange. Iga said she wasn’t mentally ready to compete, while Sabalenka said she has some minor injuries.
“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?'”
Both players apologised when announcing their withdrawals. Sabalenka said: “I’m really sorry I have to withdraw from Dubai. I have such a special connection with the tournament, the fans, and the city. Unfortunately, I am not feeling 100 per cent. But I hope to be back next year and wish the tournament a great event.”
Swiatek’s statement, meanwhile, read: “I am sorry to announce that I will not be playing Dubai this year due to a change of schedule. I hope I will come back next year to experience the great tournament. See you guys in Indian Wells.”
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Sabalenka competed at the Dubai Tennis Championships in nine consecutive years ahead of 2026 (Image: Getty)
Tahlak, however, wants the WTA to take action against such withdrawals. He added: “I think there should be a harsher punishment on the players, not just fines, they should be docked ranking points.
“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? She would play someplace else and make $1,000,000, 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 from the international group [of tournaments] speaking on our behalf 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).”
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