'Tournaments not protecting us': Sabalenka not going to Dubai Open in future after director's 'ridiculous' comments

Ace women's tennis player Aryna Sabalenka says that she might never partake in Dubai Open after the tournament director criticised her and Iga Swaitek for withdrawing at the last moment. Sabalenka chose to withdraw from the event to keep heself fresh and the result was visible as she won her maiden Indian Wells tournament last week. The Dubai Open director, meanwhile, had called for stricter penalties as well as other form of punishement including docking of ranking points, something which Sabalenka found 'ridiculous.' Apart from Dubai Open, Sabalenka had also opted out from Doha Open, both WTA 1000 events, and played in February.

Why Sabalenka won't take part in Dubai Open in future?

Sabalenka is not happy with the comments of Dubai Open tournament director Salah Tahlak, who had said: "I think there should be a harsher punishment on the players, not just fines, they should be docked ranking points." Tahlak's comments after Sabalenka and Swiatek had withdrawn from the tournament at the last moment.

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"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," said Sabalenka durin the Miami Open pre-tournament press conference.

Why Sabalenka withdrew from Dubai Open?

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The two-time Australian Open and US Open winner also talked about why she withdrew from the Dubai Open at the last moment and said: "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."

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