Aryna Sabalenka has called for greater player involvement in the
WTA's decision-making process regarding factors such as the location of the
WTA Finals after the World No. 1 voiced her concern over several issues in Cancun.
After much debate over where the 2023 WTA Finals would be held (including the possible option of Saudi Arabia), Cancun in Mexico was chosen as the location for the prestigious season-ending championship. The WTA then announced that it would spend $6 million on building a new stadium for the tournament.
However, players began encountering problems upon their arrival as construction work on the venue remained unfinished until a day before the event was due to start. Moreover, once players could access the Estadio Paradisus, many complained about the court quality with Sabalenka even saying she felt "unsafe" in the stadium.
Players then met with further issues as several matches were suspended due to rain delays, meaning that the final had to be postponed by a day.
Sabalenka says WTA does not consult players
Speaking after her defeat to Iga Swiatek in the semi-final of the tournament, which was also put off by a day due to rough weather, Sabalenka was asked if she would like to be more involved in the WTA's decision-making process like former generations of players seemed to be.
"Martina [Navratilova] and Chrissie [Chris Evert] said they were involved in WTA decisions when they were playing… would you like to get involved in WTA decisions like having the WTA Final here in Cancun?" asked a reporter.
The 25-year-old responded by revealing that no players were made aware of the location of the Finals until it was announced and that she would like players to have more involvement in these decisions.
"That’s the problem. They just announced it, and that’s it. Like some of the players just saw a tweet and were like ‘Okay, we’re playing in Cancun.’ It’s just like they made the decision and that’s it.
"That’s the problem. That they’re not asking all the players where they would like to play. I would like to be involved in these kind of decisions. I have to play here. Having this ability to control these decisions would be really helpful," she said.
